Lords of the Cave
by Zoram Selrof
Summary: Sequel to Shadow Nova. The year 2013 has come and all seemed so normal to Enzan and many others: but some freakish guys show up, apparently seeking revenge. These guys easily pick up fights with everyone so Enzan and the others need to be careful: these types can resort to murder, even, if they feel like it. Their identities might be something unexpected... Rated M for lemon.
1. Chapter 1: Dropping by

**Lords of the Cave**

 **By Zoram Selrof**

 **Chapter 1: Dropping by**

17:49 PM (Japan Time), Monday January the 15th, 2013...

"... Enzan – sama, sir. An email from Meijin, sir..."

"What is it, Blues?"

"The version update of the Virus Busting Room is done. It can be used anytime now."

"Excellent. I was thinking that maybe we should go back to the roots and think on proper strategies to deal with the common Viruses just in case: you never know."

"Yes, sir."

Ijuuin Enzan (aged about 17 years old) was chatting with his Net Navi, Blues, as he projected with the Link PET's hologram: Enzan was calmly walking down a street somewhere while stuffing both hands on his jeans' pockets: the skies were starting to tint with the colors of the evening and the Sun was starting to drop below the horizon.

"What about the firewalls?"

"He says he and Obihiro worked on a version update as well."

"Good."

"Yet…"

"I know. They won't do much good if one of those rascals comes to pick a fight." Enzan sighed with some annoyance.

"Or if that damned man shows up." Blues grumbled.

"Oh come on. Stop calling that guy like that. That's an order."

"Roger, sir."

"That's better. Now calm down. We're going to do a visit."

"I know, sir."

"Good. Ah. We've arrived."

Enzan stopped in front of the Hikari house and calmly looked upwards towards the bedroom: the curtains were partly closed so he couldn't see the inside of the room: he shrugged, climbed up the entrance steps and rang the bell.

" _Hai_ ~! Coming!"

The door opened and Hikari Haruka stepped out.

"Good afternoon, Hikari – san." Enzan greeted.

"Oh my. It's Enzan – kun. Did you come to visit them?"

"Yes, ma'am. I hope I'm not intruding."

"I think they can spare a few minutes to speak with you… Netto! Saito! Enzan – kun's come!" She called out.

"Coming!" Netto's voice replied from the first floor.

"OK!" Saito added.

"Come in."

"Thank you."

Enzan stepped in and took off his sneakers to put on slippers: Haruka signaled the living room's table so he sat down there as she readied some tea: he heard footsteps and both Netto and Saito, wearing high school uniform, stepped in.

"Yo! Enzan. Been a while."

"Hi, Blues."

"Been a while." Blues drily replied.

"Blues…" Enzan sighed.

"Ah. I apologize, Enzan – sama. Ahem… Hello." He smiled after he cleared his throat.

"You needn't be so dry, Blues." Saito told him.

"Like he says…" Enzan agreed with Saito.

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

"So. How's it going like?" Enzan asked Netto.

"Well. It's no joke. But we got good results in the first trimester. But the real deal is yet to begin." Netto admitted with a sigh.

"How about you?" Saito asked Enzan.

"Meh. No big deal. The usual customers." He shrugged.

"Here you have." Haruka placed a dish with some cookies on the table along with ceramic tea-cups filled with green tea.

"Thank you very much, ma'am."

"Ah! Nothing like a green tea to vent off the stress. Coffee is good from time to time but…" Netto smiled.

"Coffee Man got fired." Saito joked.

"Huh? Where'd that come from, niisan?" He was surprised.

"Dunno. I felt like it." Saito shrugged.

"Reminds me of Yuuichirou – san…" Haruka giggled.

"Huh? Papa made jokes like that?" Netto asked.

"Oh yes. Like… Curry Girl and Spaghetti Man married and their child was the Curry Spaghetti!" She quoted.

"Papa and his sense of humor…" Netto rolled his eyes.

"I… see." Enzan looked baffled and at a loss of words, for once.

"By the way… We heard that there was some "tsujigiri" acting out there but…"

"Oh, that? It was an urban legend someone spread to cause some panic: there never was a "tsujigiri"." Blues shrugged.

"Superintendent Oda keeps it up with his humor?"

"Yeah. When you less expect him to. He seems to be fond of surprise attacks. And he's always bringing up his "Uncle Merton"."

"No wonder." Netto wasn't surprised.

"But he's got a good tactic to pressure suspects or types we've arrested to talk. He gets annoyed but warns that that's but the 10% of his full anger. That enough makes all opponents panic and they blurt it all."

"Interesting. It makes them panic trying to imagine what his 100% anger could be like." Saito rubbed his chin.

"By the way, Enzan – kun. Some days ago… A friend of mine told me a product she bought online at Amazon got delivered but the product was wrong… Do you think that there could be some problem in their computers?" Haruka asked.

"Hmmm… Hard to say. Maybe it was a human error: there could've been two packages to be delivered to the same street and the employee who labelled them mixed them up."

"Ah. I see. That could be the case, too. Some hours later the correct package got delivered so it was no real problem yet…"

"Ah. True. The Virus Breeder is being successful: now we can use these Viruses for monitoring and security. And if hostile Viruses come in we can capture them and place them on the Breeder to eliminate their hostility."

"Interesting." Saito looked interested.

"Enzan – sama… An email from Superintendent Oda… He wants us to come to the Net Police HQ ASAP… It'd seem there's something he needs to discuss with us."

"Maybe it's some investigation from another branch that got stuck and needs some help… Excuse me, ma'am. Thank you very much."

"It's nothing. You're welcome anytime."

"Thank you, ma'am. Ah! By the way. How is you guys' cousin faring like? His name was… Mato?"

"Raito." Both corrected.

"Sorry. Raito. I have bad memory for people I've barely met. Send him greetings as well."

"You know what to do, Blues. Show them who the boss is."

"Delighted. Hmmm? Ah. There's a PS on the earlier mail, sir…"

"Let me guess… Uncle Merton?"

"Yes, sir. "By Merton! It's a featherless cat!"…"

" _Featherless_ cat?" The twins were baffled.

"My. A cat with feathers… A cross between a hen and a cat?" Haruka seemed to like the joke.

"No way." The other four groaned.

"Huff. He needs some job to keep him busy…" Enzan sighed.

"Yes, sir. Or else he goes berserk." Blues sighed as well.

"Maybe there'll be featherless dogs next?" Haruka joked.

"Mama…" The twins sighed.

"Eh… I don't know, ma'am." Enzan politely replied.

"Meaning: unknown." Blues drily muttered.

"Or featherless hamsters." Haruka giggled.

Enzan, in the meanwhile, took off the slippers and put on the shoes again.

"Take care, Enzan – kun."

"Thank you, ma'am. Good afternoon."

 _If only Superintendent Oda didn't have those quirks… Man._

18:19 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hey. Obihiro."

"Ah! Ijuuin – kun. You've come."

"Superintendent Oda isn't here yet?"

"He was, until a few minutes ago… I think he's gone buy some cookies."

"I see. And Meijin?"

"Is wrapping up something with Punk…"

"Did anything happen?"

"I don't know. He suddenly told us to gather here."

"Hmmm… Then it's no small deal."

Enzan stepped into a meeting room in the Net Police HQ and found Obihiro Shun sitting in one of chairs and playing a Sudoku game included in a tabloid: he looked up as Enzan sat on the chair to his right and turned to be face-to-face with him.

"But, really… Ever since the collapse of Shadow Nova… Things have been pretty quiet… The Shunoros guys have showed up to challenge us or Golden Star from time to time, as usual, but that's it. And the "Jet-Black Phoenix" guys haven't appeared either. Guess XY ran out of patience with them long ago."

"No wonder. Anyone would." Enzan shrugged.

"Did you see his newest joke?"

"Yeah. But, really… Is it really his joke or that Alfred guy is to blame?"

"I suspect the latter. You know the usual Shunoros troublemakers love to send weird ideas to Superintendent Oda: and when he's in the mood for those then… There's no stopping him: save for some serious happening or a cold shower." Obihiro sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I know."

"Hello there." Meijin came in.

"Did something happen, Meijin?"

"GHTJDGJDX!" He cursed something undecipherable.

"Kanado hacked our Dropbox account and stole our files." Punk explained to them.

"Kanado?"

"A guy I'd worked with before… Nowadays a freelancer… The moron still is obsessed with overcoming me…" Meijin fumed.

"Did you get them back?"

"Sure. The moron thought he could fool me using a poor imitation of a JSDF encryption algorithm but it was so cheap and meek… I had him arrested as well for breaching into this building's servers. Hope that serves as a lesson. Really. Here I thought it was some server crash that had affected the company but…"

"As if we didn't have enough troublemakers."

"And had the guts to hide that in the karaoke close to the HQ too… Was operating from there… Tried to impress me pulling an Elvis Presley imitation but his English was so crappy to begin with…"

"Ah. You've all gathered. Good. Let's begin."

Superintendent Oda quickly walked in and closed the door: he had a convenience store bag that he placed atop the table: it was a package of chocolate-filled cookies which he opened: he put them in a bowl.

"This is the core of the matter." He suddenly said.

He took off a plastic bag containing a hand-written letter and placed it on the center of the table: the others looked over there.

"Huh? That's not Japanese. It's… German?" Obihiro realized.

"Yeah. I've got the translation here…" He took out a printed paper with computer-written text that had the Net Police seal.

"Hum… "The baseball game at Densan Baseball Stadium two days from now. A traitor is lurking there. Thinking it can mingle with the crowds. But we know better. That shall be the fitting place for that traitor's public execution. You might try to cancel the game but it'll be in vain: that traitor will die, one way or another. Come witness our art. It shall be subtle and beautiful. Like a blue rose. Something impossible. It will make you realize what fear and chaos are. Hell's Puppeteer."… A threat letter!" Enzan gasped once he'd read it.

"Someone wants to kill a "traitor" in the middle of a baseball game? How do we know it's not a bluff?" Meijin asked.

"Chief Sorodo warned me that it isn't."

"Chief Sorodo did?"

"Yes. Apparently, the PSB is hot on this person's trail. They've managed to steal top-secret data from their archives. And several undercover agents have had to flee before being exposed by that character. It has some bad tastes, really… Leaves a voodoo doll on the agent's doorstep along with a card that says "you only have 24 hours of life left"… No – one has died insofar but the mere information this character has is very dangerous indeed. By "traitor" they mean an undercover agent that has helped destroy some org from the inside. So this "Hell's Puppeteer" is an ex-member of some org. Problem is… There currently are over 100 agents scattered all across Japan. We think that the German writing is a red herring to divert our investigations to Germany."

"Whoa!" Obihiro gasped.

"So we're dealing with someone who's serious. And has some weird personality. In short: some freak." Enzan summed up.

"That's why I've called for you. Meijin and Obihiro – kun: try to dig up any hints, rumors or trails this character's left behind. Ijuuin – kun: you will come with me to the stadium. Police HQ will be cooperating with us on this matter because PSB is a branch of them. You will be of help in case they use Navis or Viruses to cause chaos. They haven't insofar but you never know." Oda ordered.

"Roger." They all nodded in understanding.

"Of course: all of this is classified. Until Chief Sorodo says so you're not allowed to tell anyone else."

"Understood."

"I will warn Golden Star as well. This "Hell's Puppeteer" could be actually aiming to challenge them and the stadium is a diversion."

"Could be. We can't discard anything at this stage."

"Indeed… Including _murder_ … I don't think this madman will toy around for much longer… Sooner or later… They'll get serious. Maybe they'll leak the info to orgs with undercover agents and expose them to have the orgs kill them… Like in _Skyfall_ …" Oda grimly muttered.

"Devil." Everyone cursed.

"Sitting here won't solve anything. Don't lower the guard. The enemy can strike from anywhere."

"Speaking of enemies… Did those 2 Shadow Nova executives get caught in the end?" Obihiro asked.

"Yes. They were. So Shadow Nova has no leadership anymore and it's crumbled apart. None of the grunts or agents have the capability to rebuild it…" Oda confirmed.

"Maybe this madman was part of Shadow Nova?"

"Hum. Could be. There were several "sleeper" agents there too: maybe some were sent by the PSB, even. It's a possibility."

"Of course. We've got no evidence of that, either."

"Fine. I'll note it down in the investigation file and tip the PSB: maybe they could have someone in mind. The meeting is over. Remember: all of this is top-secret. I'll arrange so that it looks like you're doing other jobs that are unrelated. That's all." He pocketed the print-out and the letter.

"By the way… Did you get that joke from Alfred?" Enzan sighed.

"Oho. The featherless cat, eh? By Merton! That was original."

"More like a crazy mix. What can you expect from that guy?"

"Dunno. Maybe a 100% Mexican and patriotic spell? Like "puiti-puiti-puu-puu"…" He laughed.

"Earth: swallow us whole." The others sighed in defeat.

"Come on! It's not like it's the end of the world."

"But it's the end of _sanity_." Obihiro argued back.

"Maybe so. We might need Count Sylvius to solve this enigma."

"Oh come on. Count Sylvius was Sam Merton's boss. A ruined nobleman, like Kaiba – san would say."

"Truly. Heh, heh, heh. Oh well. Thanks for the cheering up. I'll warn you if Alfred sends me something interesting again."

"Not Alfred… The Shunoros troublemakers!"

"The chums enchanted by Lord Cantlemere?"

"Sheesh. We know Lord Cantlemere was skeptical of Holmes and did not expect him to succeed." Meijin sighed.

"Hmmm? Ah. Good news." He suddenly looked at his PET.

"What now?"

"Taz and Bugs Bunny have founded the Taz Bunny Club."

"Oh come on. Looney Tunes next?" Obihiro groaned.

Oda chuckled and walked out of the room while the others sighed.

"Hell's Puppeteer, huh… This won't be a walk into the park."

"True, Enzan – sama. I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Who wouldn't? Be on your toes, Blues."

 _Who's this madman and what does he hope to achieve?_

20:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… This is the place, right, Zarashe?"

"Sure, Atarasei… Let's turn on the flashlights."

"Yeah. By the way. Just in case… Maybe Alex or Beta X should stay behind to ensure we can get back? You never know: the culprit could cut off the boat's rope."

"Yeah. Good idea."

Two guys were standing in a concrete wharf somewhere and talking as they scanned the area with flashlights.

One of them, named Zarashe, had black messy hair and had sunglasses on: he could be around 16 or above.

He sported a navy blue coat which was open, a greenish wool jumper, jeans and white sneakers.

The other guy, Atarasei, also had jet black hair but his was a wild flock which knew no order or pattern and extended until the base of his neck.

His body was thin, athletic, and had good build to it which was proof of his apparently continuous exercises.

He sported a navy blue overcoat over a reddish wool jumper, a pair of navy blue jeans tightened with a black leather belt: a pair of thick socks covered his feet and he used black sneakers for footing.

"I'll stay. Beta X, you go with them. You've got faster speed."

"Roger, Alex. Do you agree, Zarashe – kun?"

"Yeah, Beta."

Two Navis materialized there on the spot.

Beta X used black as his body's main color: he had a white piece of armor set over the chest which contained a ruby jewel and two wing-like extensions spreading across the torso until the shoulders: the golden-colored Alphabet "X" character was set over the upper edge of the ruby.

His eyes' irises were blood red in coloring but they lacked pupils: his facial expression denoted seriousness.

His helmet's main color was black as well yet he had some blue pieces of armor built around the edges of it and across the middle of the helmet: the ruby had been set directly above his nose and was aiming downwards along his helmet's front part.

The helmet included five extensions shaped like wings and colored white plus a golden edge: two formed on the lower edge of the helmet, another two formed at a height over the eyes and the last one sprouted from the middle of his helmet while aiming upwards.

A golden edge surrounded his neck and formed a small collar-like object around it: his shoulders had white armor over them: three thin spear-like extensions formed behind them.

These gave off the impression of a wing as well: the uppermost piece was golden in coloring while the other two pieces were white.

His arms' skin was black until the elbow: white armor encompassed it and extended until the hands and fingers: a golden ring served as additional protection for the wrists.

The rest of his upper body had no decoration whatsoever until the hips, where the leg armor began at: a golden edge in the shape of a triangle marked the start of it.

The remainder of the legs' armor was painted using white color palette: the knees had extra armor over them and two small and short wing-like extensions.

Golden pieces of armor showed up over the ankles yet there was a space between them and the legs: they were bent upwards to form a triangle and included the wing shapes on their edges.

His feet's armor had two pieces of outer edge and another two pieces separated by a slight space between the front and the rear of them.

He was reminiscent of a "fallen angel" given the color motifs.

He was standing to Zarashe's left and glancing around.

"You know the drill, Alex. If anything happens then call us."

"OK, Oscar – kun."

Alex, the other Navi, had a helmet which had a golden-colored "Alpha" drawing set on its forehead: the helmet was colored in an azure color with golden bands circling the ear-pads and the edges of the helmet: some azure hair popped out from behind the helmet and stretched until the base of the neck.

His face was shaped to look like that of a guy on his late teens: his eyes' irises were azure and he had an air of "elegancy" to him.

His chest armor had a silver vest built over its surface which appealed as being a layer of extra armor and which ended at the height of the chest emblem: the emblem had a bronze-colored edge and its inner color was platinum: it contained the "alpha" symbol on its very center.

His shoulders were covered in sturdy black armor from which some yellow-colored lines originated to travel down the arms' length.

His forearm armor only encompassed the forearm and not the elbow to seemingly allow for further movement.

Four red circling bands spiraled around its length and ended at the knuckles of his fingers: both arms' color was navy blue yet the forearms and fingers' choice of color palette was sky blue.

His legs' knee protections had been painted white but they had diamond-colored circles varying in diameter set on them: three circles in total spread from the centermost point of the knee protection.

The boots had three pearl-colored bands circling the upper edge, the ankle, and the start of the toe fingers: their general color kept on being navy blue.

"Let's go, Zarashe, Beta."

"OK."

Zarashe, Beta X and Atarasei advanced following the path: there was a signpost with two banners, one reading "Wharf" and the other reading "Campsite".

"We got a tip-off signed by that rumored "Hell's Puppeteer" saying that we prove we're not cowards and this solitary island's coordinates. And Slur – sama got totally annoyed." Zarashe discussed with Beta X.

"I know. That guy doesn't know whom he's challenging. When you earn Slur – sama's anger… She'll chase you to Hell if needed to make you regret that." Beta X rolled his eyes.

"It must be some trap, anyway." Atarasei shrugged.

"By Fu – Manchu?" Zarashe tried a joke.

"Man. A crocodile instead of a dog… And old-style gimmicks… Plus a pitfall filled with spikes… And to top it off hidden speakers that amplified the sound of his drums to try to turn mad the intruders…" Atarasei laughed as he explained.

"You got that from the _Mortadelo y Filemón_ album "Bye-bye, Hong Kong!"… The radio trio adapted it on November-December…" Beta X calmly muttered.

"Huh? There are tents. I thought no – one came camping at this time of the year… Hello~?"

"If there are tents… Why are there no boats?"

"Maybe it comes by the morning? Hello~?"

They'd been climbing up a hill and crossed through a forest to end up in a clearing: four or five tents had been settled aiming for a round circle in the middle that had remains of a bonfire: Atarasei began to call out along with Zarashe yet Beta X seemed to find something out of place.

"He… GUAH! What the…!"

"By all the… Are these…?"

"What!"

They stopped when Atarasei's flashlight light landed on something unexpected on the ground: he and the other 2 gasped in shock as well and nervously illuminated the surroundings.

"M-mutilated corpses…! There must be at least… 20 of them!" Beta X grimly muttered as he scanned the area.

"Guah! It's filled with dried blood too!"

"This bonfire's ashes are totally cold. This fire was not lit today. Most likely yesterday. So it's been about 24 hours since they've died."

"Gross…! We were right… We're dealing with some madman!"

"… Or so they wanted us to believe." Beta X suddenly said as he crouched next to a beheaded corpse.

"What?" The Operators gasped.

"It's a mannequin! And this is not real blood either. It's dried paint. But I think it's a warning nevertheless. That at some point this can turn into real manslaughter. Hey. Alex. Anything over there?"

"Nothing insofar. I'm scanning in IR and X-Ray and using sonar and radar yet there's nothing. No engine sound, no breathing…" Alex replied.

"Let's warn the coastal police to take care of this. Wait. There's something written here… "Herren von der Höhle"… German! "Lords of the Cave"…"

"Lords of the Cave?"

"Maybe some fancy title they've come up with… I've recorded it. I suggest we get outta here. There's nothing more to do…"

"Slur – sama will get really annoyed. Let's hope she doesn't take off it on us by imposing one of her training regimes." Zarashe sighed.

"I know. Man. Not even President Hades can stop her when she gets in those moods. Slur – sama is a great and powerful leader but…"

"Hmmm… Lords of the Cave… Hell's Puppeteer… Hmmm…"

 _This affair is no joke… We must catch that madman soon or else…!_


	2. Chapter 2: Crowds

**Chapter 2: Crowds**

19:33 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday January the 17th…

"… Ijuuin – kun? Anything over there? Over."

"No, sir. Nothing. Blues?"

"No anomalies insofar, Enzan – sama. No Virus signature. No Navi in the public is doing anything odd. No strange data traffic."

"Like they'd do that, anyway… They must use normal 3G or 4G or carrier signal to send messages through some app… Maybe WhatsApp… Or Twitter, Facebook or Telegram…"

"The PSB told us one agent had bought a ticket to come see the match but for safety reasons they can't tell us the seat or the name. But they'll let us know if something odd happens around him or her."

Enzan was sitting on a seat on a baseball stadium while wearing a black cap with the name OSAKA on the front plus sunglasses and a grayish trench coat: he was speaking in a hushed tone over a wireless microphone he had on and listening to Oda over a wireless earphone on the left ear: the noise from the game and the spectators helped camouflage his voice: Enzan was constantly scanning his row and the closest ones.

"How does the culprit plan to assault the PSB agent? All corridors are under watch and it's impossible to snipe from outside the stadium. Problem is if the culprit's sitting next to the PSB agent and has a silenced gun: can kill without those around noticing and then discreetly leave with the crowd once the game ends… It's only been 30 minutes… And it can last some hours… I hope the PSB are keeping their eyes on their agent…"

"Let us hope so."

"That info that Slur sent to Chief Sorodo about that fake manslaughter site doesn't help: the culprit could do that for all we know. Yet the stadium was inspected in detail during Monday, yesterday and this dawn and nothing strange has been found. The culprit knew that by warning us on Monday we'd have the time to search for that."

"Hmmm? Wait, Enzan – sama… I'm picking up a short-length radio wave."

"What is it?"

"Judging by the frequency… A walkie-talkie… And it's not the ones the police stationed here use either…"

"Can you intercept the data?"

"I'm on it, sir…"

KZZZZZZZ!

"Whoa!"

"Huh?"

A loud static sound suddenly rang out and the main LCD screen displaying the game suddenly got filled with static: a machine-distorted chuckle rang out and the image got restored to show a strange character.

This character had a white drama mask, a purplish hat with a reddish edge and a red robe over the neck and the shoulders.

"I am Hell's Puppeteer… This is not a show. Listen, traitor hiding within this crowd! You have nowhere to hide to… Repent for your sins with your flesh… Or this stadium gets annihilated." The figure called out: their voice was distorted by a device.

"There's no Navi signature, sir… It seems to be a pre-recorded video hidden beforehand in the servers, sir." Blues reported.

"Heck."

"You have time until the game ends. If you do not appear… It matters not. You will die today. One way or another. Foolish crowds… You would rather do nothing useful instead of contributing to the glory of the Grand Master, He who rests beyond the void…"

"By all the… That's the Shadow Nova pragma!" Enzan cursed as he recognized the wording.

"But maybe it's a red herring, Enzan – sama."

"I know some hounds are hiding here. It matters not. Your efforts will be in vain. Feel the anger of the citizens, sink into shame and dishonor and die like the fools you all are. No… The pigs that you are. Meaningless pigs who can only make loud noises…"

"Say that again!"

"Bring it on, punk!"

"You got in the way of baseball!"

"Devil. The public's starting to get annoyed." Enzan cursed.

"Maybe the goal is to create a turmoil to kill the PSB agent and easily slip away?"

"Hey! You! Shut up. You're loud and stupid." Some voices within the public grumbled.

"STUPID! ME! Say that again!"

Several spectators began to stand up from the seats and yell at nearby spectators: the stadium security rushed towards there to try to stop a brawl from beginning: the character in the screen was silent and didn't move either.

"It's still playing, though…" Blues warned.

"Maybe this pause is calculated to…?"

"A customer in Gate 8, Row 14, Seat 10 has collapsed! Medical staff: hurry over there!" A voice rang out from the PA speakers.

"What's the status?" Someone asked over the police radio circuit.

"No bleeding and no visible wounds yet… Huh? The right side of the shirt has three parallel scratches… And superficial cuts on the flesh too but very, very thin." Someone else reported.

"Strange. In any case. Bring them to the corridor and wait for the medical staff."

"Roger, sir."

"Hmpf! Killing them in one attack is too sweet. They need to suffer, to agonize, to struggle…" The video began to speak again.

"Devil. So they managed to pull it off." Enzan grumbled.

"Beware, you pigs. There's a hunter here come to reap your pitiful flesh and sweat and blood."

"Say that again!"

"Punk!"

"Bastard!"

"Defenders of stability? I laugh at you. Herd of powerless humans… You are powerless when facing a power from beyond the Great Void…"

"And he's taunting Golden Star… again."

"I checked again and there indeed is no – one in the control room."

"What about the earlier signal?"

"I didn't have time to decode it before it ceased. But if we wait maybe it'll be emitted again. I think it's what activates and stops that video."

"Alright. Ijuuin here… What's the status of the customer?"

"Still unconscious. But heartbeats, blood pressure and respiration are all at normal level. They'll be taking them to the hospital for a quick checkup just in case." Oda replied.

"Is it the PSB agent?"

"Beware, heirs of a cursed crown. Your kindred is doomed to be exiled from this world into another world."

"Shut up, punk! Stop sayin' nonsense! _Aho_!" Someone with with Kansai accent grumbled.

"I know it. That there is someone who believe it is a grand player… but they are small fry by now."

"Who's small fry~?"

 _This Kansai accent… I think I've heard it somewhere before. Grand player…? Ah! I remember…_

He looked 3 rows below his and recognized Aragoma Torakichi standing and waving his right arm at the screen along with some other customers.

 _Aragoma Torakichi… Operator of King Man… Haven't seen the guy in a while… Wait. Does that mean that…?_

"Maybe the culprit hacked the personal info of each spectator."

"Is that so, Enzan – sama?"

"Maybe they chose a seat where there would be tall people: maybe they're not that tall and they thought of using others to hide their presence… Investigate the surroundings of the PSB agent's seat and the customers there… Maybe one of them is the culprit…"

"Now that you mention it, sir… The signal came from approximately the same area but I couldn't close in further than 15 meters… So there is a 15 meter margin of error…" Blues explained.

"I see. Then again the culprit won't be so stupid to buy the seat online with his or her real name. It'll surely be a fake name. But it'll take a while to figure that out too. And we can't detain anyone without evidence."

"That could be another of the culprit's aims, too."

"Ijuuin – kun? It'd seem the collapsed customer was indeed attacked. The angle of those wounds and the shape suggest that 3 bullets scratched across the length of their ribcage and produced a shock that knocked them out… They're trying to see where the bullets could've ended up at…"

"…The hounds are closing into you, herd of pigs…! Farewell!"

"The signal again…! I've narrowed it down a bit more… 10 meter margin of error… Can't get closer because it's already gone…!" Blues gasped.

 _The police agents must be searching for the bullets… They may find the bullets but the culprit will be harder… I'm sure they've got the means to dispose of the gun… The opponent is too dangerous for my taste!_

20:09 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew. This is Ijuuin… Sorry for cutting contact… An urgency popped out, sir…"

"I see. We know where the bullets are at but we can't retrieve them now: we don't want to start a scandal."

"Where?"

"In the field's ground. They were shot in an angle that would only hit the agent's body and then continue straight into the ground to stab there: none of the players have noticed anything."

Enzan exited the men's restrooms and resumed radio contact with Oda: he listened to his explanation and rubbed his chin.

"You're Ijuuin, right?" Someone suddenly asked.

"Huh? Yeah."

He turned, surprised, to see a guy standing there and who seemed to have come from one of the stairs leading to the spectators seats.

This guy was about a meter and eighty tall or taller and he seemed to be on his 20s.

His hair was black in coloring and kept a neatly combed manner while his eyes' irises were blood red.

He wore a simple long-sleeved thick navy blue t-shirt, a black leather belt, jeans and brown hiking boots.

"Darkus Mors." He announced.

"Darkus Mors?" Enzan frowned.

"Shunoros… Chut." He ordered.

Enzan understood and Mors began to look around in a mistrusting manner as if fearing someone could be overhearing them: he stepped into the restroom and checked all of the stalls' doors as if there was a mike there but there was nothing.

"Doesn't seem to be bugged. Alright."

"Prince Kuroban?" Enzan asked in a whisper.

"You can skip the "Prince". It's but a hereditary title. And that of the "cursed crown" was a taunt to my organization. That man is no commoner."

"… I see." Enzan seemed to realize something.

"I see you're getting my point. Yeah. They know _too_ much. That knowledge could be dangerous. But then again it doesn't mean that they know about "they"…" Mors AKA Kuroban whispered.

"The PSB agent was shot."

"So that was a PSB agent. I knew they had to be here for some reason but…"

"Thought Slur had told you."

"No. Legato warned me through one of my men that something dangerous could happen there. It'd seem Slur's in a terrible mood and hardly wants to talk to anyone. What's more: she's been absent for over 24 hours. I guess where she's gone to and so does Legato but… It could have a bad effect on the morale. Maybe that's part of the culprit's goals: maybe they realized that one of the few weaknesses Golden Star's Navis have is… morale." He grumbled.

"Gotcha. What do you make out of that outfit? Ring a bell?" Enzan asked him.

"No. Not at all. Then again I'm a foreigner so if this is something of ancient Japan then it's unlikely that I'd know."

"You've got a point. Maybe it's taken from _kabuki_ or _noh_ , the classical Japanese musical drama…" Enzan rubbed his chin.

"But many character in both types of plays paint their faces white or wear masks so it'll be hard to close into anything."

"I know. It's but a hypothesis." Kuroban admitted.

"Were it so easy…"

"Huh? Ah!"

They spotted the person that had been showing up on the screen: the rest of the outfit consisted on a plain large bluish robe and white gloves for the hands: the person made a reverence and then threw a blue rose at their feet but they hardly paid attention because both began to chase the subject.

"Police! Stop the funky dress guy! It's the culprit!"

"Halt! Stop!"

"Hmpf!"

The culprit headed for one set of stairs leading to the lower floor and a security staff man drew a service revolver which he aimed at the right of the right foot: the culprit simply flung the left arm and threw a red rose that stabbed the man's right arm below the elbow and above the wrist: the sudden pain made the man let go of the gun and the culprit tackled asides with the left shoulder to then run down the stairs followed by Enzan since Kuroban had stopped to check on the man: Enzan spotted the culprit heading further down towards the parking lot so he followed there: the culprit headed for a black van the engine of which was already on and into the cargo space since the back doors were open: Enzan suddenly felt something stabbing his right leg below the hip and he collapsed because he tripped and fell face-down into the ground, skidding: the van raced away, breaking the barrier on the process.

"T-this is Ijuuin…! Black van…! From parking…! Culprit…!"

"Ijuuin – kun! Report position!" Oda ordered.

"West wing parking lot… Near exit… Sector 5… Something stabbed my right leg… It's numb!" He reported between pants.

"Enzan – sama: don't move, sir!" Blues warned.

"Medical staff, security staff! Move it! Warn the Traffic Department to set barricades! Secure security imagery! We need that van's plate NOW!"

"Roger!"

"Kuh…! My right leg…!" Enzan hissed.

"Ijuuin! Are you alright?" Kuroban rushed there.

"No! My right leg's numb."

"A white rose… And it'd seem it was coated in some poison or another… Let's hope it's not a big deal… Same as the security man… Stay still and don't move the leg." Kuroban picked a white rose using a handkerchief.

"Shit! I'm sure that… Carried the disguise on a bag… And changed in the restroom…!" Enzan hissed.

"Calm down. But, really… Roses as weapons… Talk about totally bad taste…" Kuroban grumbled as he looked at it.

"It's a real rose?"

"So it'd seem. The forensics will determine that."

"Ijuuin – kun!" Oda rushed in with some of the medical staff and some policemen.

"Please send this to the forensics."

"And you are…?"

"Kuroban Howsad…"

"Ah! Young Kuroban… Alright. Is the ambulance here?"

An ambulance came in and the staff climbed down: they placed Enzan atop a stretcher and brought him inside of the ambulance: they secured him in place and one of the medics pulled down his jeans to be able to look at the wound: it was slightly bleeding.

"Hum. We'll have to take a sample for detailed analysis. For the time being let's administer serum just in case." He concluded.

"Don't feel guilty for this, Ijuuin – kun. You've done more than you could. Leave the rest to us and rest." Oda commanded.

"It is too strong?" One of the male nurses asked Enzan since he hissed.

"From time to time, yes…!"

"Some morphine would do as well. Alright. Let's go!"

"I'll drop by later, Ijuuin – kun." Oda told him.

The ambulance closed the doors and left: Oda and Kuroban sighed while Oda glanced at the rose placed inside of the plastic bag to store evidence: he handed it to one of the policemen who saluted and rushed out.

"I knew we were up against someone dangerous but… They're very bold as well… This is going to be far more complicated than we thought it was going to be, young Kuroban…"

"Yeah… But, nevertheless… That speed and precision… Maybe that wasn't human but a Net Navi…"

"Hum. Maybe some copies of the stolen "Copy Roid" schematics are still floating around… We thought that by combining our strengths we'd managed to delete all of them yet…"

"Maybe that "someone" has printed them."

"You've got a point. Heck. Were it not for those smug women then those schematics would still be safely stored…!"

"No use crying over spilled milk, Superintendent Oda… Here's a number to contact me: I'll keep you updated if something were to pop out…"

Kuroban took out a couple of sunglasses from the right pocket.

"Please tell me if Ijuuin recovers."

"Of course. Take care, young Kuroban."

"Thank you. We'll all need to."

Oda fumed and drew some checking gum to begin chewing it.

 _By Merton's hat and beard. I'm not going to let the rascal who hurt one of my men run loose. My word! I'll expose you true colors yet!_

21:21 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff. Mademoiselle won't be happy…"

"I am turning that predictable, President Hades?"

"Huh! I'm sorry."

"Do not mind it. You were being realistic. I am not in the best of moods but I can solve that later. I heard about the commotion. Has that van been found?"

"Not yet."

"Hmpf."

A man had been sitting inside of a room and mumbling aloud until someone suddenly appeared there.

This room was an office room containing a desk and visitor chairs plus a set of three metallic drawers to store files yet the only piece of non-practical furniture was a canvas hanging from the furthest wall and having an oil-based drawing of a four-mast windjammer sailing into the sunset.

There was an open laptop computer placed atop the desk.

"Such a fancy vehicle…!"

"But…"

The man, sitting on a chair behind the desk, seemed to be on his late 20s and about a meter and eighty-five centimeters tall: his hair was neatly combed and brownish in coloring.

His eyes' irises were brown in coloring and he was clean shaven.

His clothes consisted on a black suit coupled with black tie and black quality pants: he looked like a typical businessman.

A gray trench coat was hanging from a perch set in the right wall near the door along with a brown hat having a black band around it.

"What."

"They could've hidden in a garage close by, changed clothes and walked away…"

"Hmpf. And here I thought they were runaway clowns from a circus."

"Mademoiselle Slur… Anger will not solve anything."

The other person speaking with him was the Net Navi known as Slur: she was hovering a couple centimeters over the ground and her arms were aiming at the ground: her face depicted pure annoyance and so did her glare which seemed to kill, even.

"Then what is the answer? Kanou Shade."

"The answer is patience. And to investigate the surroundings of the stadium: know the distance between the stadium and the first checkpoint that was assembled…"

"There could be tens of parking lots there… It will take forever." She fumed and lifted her arms to cross them.

"I thought Monsieur XY would have helped to…"

"How do you know that I went to see XY?"

"You did not go see Monsieur Kuroban. Who else?" He argued while shrugging.

"Hmpf. Fine. At least that little mouse is under XY's custody and will not snoop around anymore." She fumed.

"Mademoiselle… Anger only clouds judgment. One needs to stop and rationally think… By imaging what the culprit thinks when they need to escape…"

"Hmpf. What a waste of time."

"Fine. Then do it your way, Mademoiselle." Kanou sighed and seemed to realize it was pointless to try to convince her.

"Hmpf. Fine… Anyway. Have the usual fools done it again?"

"They've behaved insofar. Everyone is just so tense."

"Tense?"

"Your displays of anger make everyone shiver: they fear that you will vent it off with your "strict training"…"

"Is that so? And here I thought they were laughing at me."

"Why would they? They know your power is clearly above theirs."

"Hmpf. I just do not feel like it as of late. Fools insulting my intelligence…"

"It's like dealing with a bully. The less attention you pay to them the sooner they'll give up."

"Hmmm… Now that you mention it…" She rubbed her right chin but her mood didn't change.

"Now, how about you have a proper rest? I think you lack some rest. Even you need to stop your processes for a while: I think that you are pushing your body's info processing abilities to the limits. You are not perfect, Mademoiselle. No – one and nothing is perfect. Not even the Universe itself…" Kanou insisted with a sigh.

"That I know. That unlike that fool that rebuilt my body… I do not think that I am perfect. My "predecessor" was not perfect either. I will not commit the same mistakes they did."

"There. Can we have a truce for a few hours, Mademoiselle? I think that after some hours of sleep mode you will feel refreshed and in a better mood to think better about what we need to do."

"Hum. Fine. I suppose there is no harm in trying to do so. Switch off the wireless adapter of your PC: I shall rest there and I want to be isolated so that no – one can bother me."

Slur's body suddenly became a mass of yellowish energy: it twisted in the air to jump inside of a purplish "portal" that had formed out of nowhere and vanish inside of it: the PC screen's lit up and a displayed popped up showing Slur standing atop a square cyan platform set on the center of a Cyber World made of several rings which rotated or followed a path on the background while larger ones were built atop and below the platform.

"I built this section to be isolated from other memory allocation and processes so you can run them while I am resting."

"Understood. Looks like I was able to convince her somehow. Oh boy. I've been around with her to know she can be incredibly prideful but…"

He stretched and stood up to head for the room's door: he exited into a metallic corridor with armored doors on both sides each having a control panel attached to the left: he headed right, up the corridor, and ended in a wide square cafeteria-like room: Dark Man, who'd been one of the "Dark Four Heavenly Kings", was the master standing behind the counter and humming a tune as he wiped some glasses.

"Good evening, Mr. Dark Man."

"Ah. President Hades. Do you desire something?"

"Some green tea if I may."

"Understood. Please take a seat."

"Mr. Burner Man is not around?"

"No. He had a meeting with Needle Man and Video Man." Dark Man explained.

"Alright. Who's in charge of deck security?"

"Cosmo Man and Freeze Man."

"And of surrounding surveillance?"

"Pharaoh Man."

"As long as he's not absent-minded again…" He muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Ah. It's nothing. I feel rather tense… Don't mind me."

He sat down on a wooden seat next to one of the round wooden tables and distractedly glanced at a printed menu.

"If possible… I'd like some _udon_ as well."

"But of course, sir."

Kanou sighed and took out a pencil from his right pocket: he began to distractedly spin it using 3 of his right hand's fingers.

 _It had to be done. Someone had to come bring some order to this nation before it descended into chaos. Mr. Blues and Mr. Rock Man alone wouldn't have been enough to deal with so many strong enemies… Fortunately most of them only wanted to challenge them… And us…_

"I apologize for the wait. The green tea and the _udon_ , sir." Dark Man brought them and calmly placed them on the table.

"Thank you."

Dark Man calmly returned to his post and brought up a set of dishes that had just been cleansed by the washing machine: he began to go over them to make sure they were clean enough while Kanou calmly ate his dinner.

 _Something's bugging me. I feel like I'm overlooking something important. Maybe the tension and Mademoiselle's moods have made me forget about it. I could ask Mr. Zero to search… Good_ udon _… It's been a while since I last had some… Sometimes I feel like_ soba _or_ ramen _feel better… This green tea fragrance… It calms the spirit and makes the tension go away… I should have more of this and less Coca-Cola… Else I'll build up needless kilos which I need to reduce by intense work-out on the onboard gym…_

He finished his dinner and Dark Man picked it up: he headed for the counter and paid for it before heading back down the corridor and past his office room (labelled "PRESIDENT HADES' OFFICE") to the room next door: he inputted a password to step into a small bedroom that had only a single bed, a small table to the left with a lamp atop it, a cupboard and a some space saved as a bathroom: there was a bullseye with a curtain set atop it above the bed: the light was some bulbs set on the ceiling: the ground, walls and ceiling were metallic.

 _Huff. I feel tired… What is it? What am I overlooking? It is the key to victory…? I don't know…_


	3. Chapter 3: Action

**Chapter 3: Action**

09:18 AM (Japan Time), Friday January the 19th…

"… Well, Raging Flame?"

"Nothing insofar, Prince, sir."

"If you find interlopers… You can give them a lesson. But no deletion. That's an order. I'm not in the best of moods for idiocies."

"R-roger, sir."

"That's better… And don't get cocky either. I can see it coming. The enemy can wait for that mood of yours to then counter in a precise manner: always mind your own weakness…"

"Understood…"

"Explosion!"

"Whoa! Speaking of the devil…"

"… Damn. Shunoros, huh. And here I thought it would be some Shadow Nova leftover…"

"Shadow Man, huh… What do I do, Prince?"

"The guy attacked you. You've got the right to counter."

A Navi named Raging Flame had been jumping across some of the Reverse Internet's floating rock platforms and speaking with Kuroban over the radio before a fireball landed into the ground in front of him and caused a small explosion followed by some flames: Shadow Man, the _ninja_ Net Navi, dropped in but cursed when he realized who it was.

"By your orders. You brought this into yourself. Are Shadow Nova leftovers that valuable?"

"None of your business."

"I wonder about that… Flame. Give this fool a lesson and check his data: I smell someone else's involvement."

"As you order, sir."

Raging Flame had a helmet on which only protected the front and sides of his head: his hair freely flew out from behind him: transparent red shades covered his eyes which had brown irises.

The helmet's forehead included a large metallic horn and two yellow shapes near the outer edges shaped like the Alphabet "M" character which were glowing with a brightness-changing yellowish light: one moment it glowed strongly the other it glowed in a faint manner.

There was a metallic edge running across the forehead and along the length of the sides together with the ear-pads: they had the drawing of the "honoo" or "Flame" _kanji_ in orange color against a black background.

His chest armor appeared to be pretty thick stuff and had four diagonal-oriented grayish diamonds built into it: the Alphabet letters "RF" colored yellow had been drawn on the center.

The shoulder armor was thick as well: there was a round yellowish band circling the shoulder joint and from there reddish armor extended to protect the whole shoulder: it ended with three short metallic claws set on the edge of a valley-like opening.

There was a bit of exposed arm covered by black "skin" before the forearms' armor (starting at the elbows) began: the forearms' armor started with a circle protecting the elbow and a metallic diamond-shaped piece set over the upper edge of it while aiming upwards.

The rest of the forearm and hand were protected by a layer of armor in the form of a cylinder's upper half with two brownish plates set over there: it also had a small brownish dot on the left side of the armor which looked like decoration.

A small crevice split the set into two parts: the aforementioned part and a more simplistic running across the reverse of the forearm and wrist: his hands were covered in black "skin" as well.

The upper body and legs were covered in black "skin" like the hands and the exposed arms.

Some brownish diamonds were set in a column running down the sides of the body until where the large boots began, at around the knees.

The boots were thick and big as well and they began at the knee: a metallic hexagon was set on the upper edge and its upper half served as additional protection for the legs: their dominant color was, of course, a fierce bright red color: another two hexagons were stacked below the upper edge along with two small diamonds.

These two small diamonds extended from the second hexagon's SW and SE corners.

A thin black line travelled from the ankle to the start of the fingers before drawing an arch and forming a small black cavity from which a metallic triangle emerged and pointed northwards: there was another one large in size and colored in a dull orange color immediately below and the rest of the boots were the double-thickness soils formed by two large curved-edged triangles.

He could be over a meter and seventy tall and, from the face, a teenager about Enzan's age.

"Hra~h! Raging Magma~!"

He built up energy on his weapon and shot a stream of red-hot magma towards Shadow Man but he vanished in a cloud of smoke and left a log behind: he appeared atop Raging Flame while having his _katana_ drawn and dropping towards there: Raging Flame merely used an Area Steal to warp out of harm yet he gasped when Shadow Man appeared again over him: he grumbled and formed a Barrier yet Shadow Man easily pierced through it but Raging Flame dived for the ground towards the right just at Shadow Man made contact with the barrier and it began to break to escape as if he jumped out through a window: Shadow Man only hit the ground and got his blade stuck there but he simply made it warp and reappear on his right hand: Raging Flame was hardly impressed and he didn't make a move as if trying to figure out what Shadow Man would do next: Shadow Man began to run towards him and Raging Flame aimed his weapon at the guy.

"Heat Missile!"

He formed a missile and Shadow Man quickly sliced it in half yet it turned out that the warhead was loaded with some magma: it landed on Shadow Man's hands and he hissed as he tried to bear with the pain and not let go of the blade despite the burns that formed on his hands' armor: he did waste a very small amount of time in doing that and Raging Flame had dashed towards him while drawing a Flame Axe: he swung it and Shadow Man tried to block with his blade yet he easily cleaved it in two and his attack hit Shadow Man's torso: he grumbled and warped to form a new blade and dash towards Raging Flame from behind: Raging Flame calmly shrugged and a Magma Stage formed around him: Shadow Man stepped into the Magma Panels and yelped as he jumped away and into a platform about 4 meters higher and 10 to the NE: he began to run away so Raging Flame began to chase him.

"Beware. It could be a trap. He could have accomplices." Kuroban whispered.

"Roger, sir."

"Insofar you're behaving. But I'm watching." He warned.

"Y-yes, sir." He gulped.

"Opening! Shadow Blade!"

"Wha? Damn it!"

Raging Flame brought up his arms to block a series of attacks by Shadow Man in which he quickly moved the blade around and attacked different spots of his body: Raging Flame silently began to build up energy on his weapon while pretending to be nervous.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh... What happened to the earlier confidence?" He taunted.

"Sheesh. It's gone off to Acapulco! With KLM's offers! Hmpf!" He improvised.

"Good…" Kuroban sneered over the radio.

Raging Flame actually gulped and seemed to find it very creepy or out of place: he concentrated again and resumed battling.

"By the way! Ninja Man. Do you like _takoyaki_?"

"I'm a Net Navi. I can't "eat"." He shrugged.

"You're about to become one! ATOMIC BLAZE~RRRR!"

"UGRA~H!"

He suddenly jumped a couple steps away and drew his gun to shoot a powerful stream of burning energy as tall as Shadow Man and as wide as 3 standard Navis: Shadow Man roared and, when the attack ceased, he collapsed on the ground, burnt to a crisp.

"Hmpf. Did you get your lesson, assassin for hire? We've improved: how about you retire into the _ninja_ village? Raiden's coming to take your place soon enough." Kuroban sneered.

"Damn it…! It was a trap and… I feel for it…! My Master…! I apologize!"

"Now tell us: what makes Shadow Nova leftovers valuable?"

"C… Colonel… says that… they must know… who that guy of Wednesday… so the guy… hired me to…"

"Hmpf. That fool. Jumping to conclusions... Whatever… Resume your mission and forget about that disgraced _ninja_ …"

Raging Flame left Shadow Man there and resumed searching: he spotted a small white pillar about a meter tall with a hexagonal shape and base set in one of the platforms.

"One of Golden Star's "nodes"…"

"Ignore them. Even if they detect us… They know what we're doing here, anyway. It's too early to settle if that fool's part of Shadow Nova or not, anyway. Bah. Colonel will soon run into trouble too with his own bosses. Had it coming for being so stupid." He fumed.

 _The Prince is too scary, man. Let's continue searching for clues…_

11:45 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Suzuki – kun, is everything ready?"

"Yes, sir. I did another check and both are ready."

"Good. By the way: if you see a bag with a Kanadaya _bento_ that's mine… Someone grabbed it by mistake and I don't know where it is."

"Understood."

"Ops. Gotta hurry…"

"They all try to camouflage it but… The tension's too obvious."

"Sure, Martha – chan…"

"Anything new, Akemi?"

"According to Zero… Raging Flame beat Shadow Man."

"I see."

A girl had been walking down a corridor inside of a building somewhere while taking with her Navi after an employee had chatted with her to then leave: she carried a make-up tools case on her right hand.

This girl, Suzuki, appealed to be in her late teens and had long brown hair reaching past her shoulders and up until the waist: her eyes' irises were brown too and she had a good profile.

She wore a simple black long-sleeved shirt with the text "I love Kyoto" drawn into it, an open teal brown jumper, jeans and white socks plus a pair of white sneakers.

Her Link PET was colored teal brown and yellow and had the Alphabet "A" character colored golden and set inside of a brownish-edged circle as emblem.

"And, apart from that…?"

"Looks like Slur – sama is in a slightly better mood but she still looks like she could get really mad any moment now."

"Huff. Slur – sama and her moods… She's powerful yet her pride can get in the way from time to time…"

"Yeah… It's a pity."

The Navi's, Akemi's, main body color was teal brown accompanied by greenish irregular stains across her bodysuit.

Her helmet had the drawing of a flower on the forehead and her eyes' irises were green emerald: her face was smooth and slightly attractive when seen from a profile.

Her forearms and boots had three consecutive greenish rings drawn across them: each ring had some small yellowish stains scattered inside of them at random.

Some greenish hair flowed out from behind her helmet and reached until the shoulders.

"Excuse me."

"Yes, can I help you?"

A man calmly walked up the corridor and called out for Suzuki.

This man could be on his 20s, about a meter and eighty tall or maybe higher.

He had blackish hair, brownish eye irises, and was clean shaven.

He was dressed like a salary-man with a blue jacket, white shirt, a grayish tie with some white diagonal bands, bluish trousers, a brown leather belt and brown shoes.

"I am looking for the AD Tooyama – san…"

"Tooyama – san… AD… Ah! Yes, yes. He's on the 5th floor west wing office, I think. His program isn't until 4 PM so…" She recalled.

"Thank you very much. If you were to see him, though… Could you please tell him my name is Takatoo and that I shall be waiting at his office?" He requested.

"Of course, sir."

"Thank you very much. Goodbye, my fair lady."

He walked away at a calm pace and Suzuki merely shrugged before returning to her room: she sat on a chair and placed the PET atop the table: but, suddenly, the AC unit beeped and switched from heater mode to AC mode: it began to blow cold air into the room so Suzuki cursed under her breath and aimed her PET at the IR port.

"Plug In! Akemi, Transmission!"

Akemi entered the Cyber World and found Cold Bears (Bear-shaped Viruses) Wild Boys (Fish-shaped Viruses), Ice Penguin (Penguin-shaped Viruses), Cold Balls (Viruses that spat Ice Cannon Balls) busy trying to produce cold-type attacks: Akemi formed some Bug Fragments and tossed them around but the Viruses didn't react.

"Looks like these ones have been designed to be impervious to Bug Fragments, Martha – chan." She reported.

"Hmmm… Maybe the Virus Breeder staff has talked too much in public about it… It was a matter of time before it happened… Like how there are always new types of Viruses that anti-virus software can't detect… Can't be helped: we'll have to defeat them. Battle Chip, Meteor 9! Slot In!"

Suzuki dragged the icon from the 3D screen lateral menu into Akemi and she formed the rod to summon the meteor rain: they fell down around the took out several of the Viruses while their residual heat contributed to stopping the cold air output and heating up the air instead: Suzuki then installed a Flame Sword and a Hell's Burner so Akemi easily defeated the remaining Viruses.

"Phew. That seems to be it. Yet… The ACs are not connected to the Network for obvious safety reasons. The only way to plant these is to come in person and send the Viruses into the system. They must've been placed in a sleep mode status beforehand linked to a timer: when it reached 0 they activated." Akemi deduced.

"Sounds logical."

"Kya~h!"

"Uo~h!"

"Looks like it wasn't just our machine…"

Suzuki rushed out into the corridor to see that the main ventilation system was vomiting cold air and startling the staff: Suzuki nodded to Akemi and she nodded her head before warping elsewhere: she closed the door and returned inside of her room: she opened a drawer and took out a pair of earphones with an incorporated mike which she plugged into the PET's jack port.

"Do you copy?" She asked in a whispered voice.

"I do." Akemi replied in a slightly different tone of voice.

"Did you turn on the disguise?"

"Yeah. And I'm making it look like I came from the general entrance like any visitor Navi… We must make it look like it was the Net Police Cyber CID… I'll tell Blues later."

"Good. We must keep our identities a secret. Did you reach the ventilation system control room?"

"Another 23 seconds…"

"Alright. Was there anything noticeable on the path there?"

"Nothing." Akemi reported back.

"Good."

"I'm here. Let's see… Ah! It's the masked freak of the other day! The one at the ballpark…"

Indeed: the mysterious figure of the other day was standing in front of the console of the ventilation system while several Navis around there were frozen and trapped inside of ice crystals: the figure was merely standing there and not doing anything so Akemi (disguised as a standard Navi) silently formed the Mugen Vulcan Program Advance.

"Eat lead!"

"Huh? Ah!" The figure gasped.

It was unable to react it in time and all rounds hit it: the culprit groaned and collapsed while panting: Akemi warped there.

"Net Police Cyber CID. You're under arrest."

"Foolish woman… Like that would be enough to stop us…"

"Huh? Ah! Area Steal!"

She barely dodged an electrical burst that hit the ground where she'd been at and peeled off some layers while causing a small explosion: she looked up to see another identical figure to the one she'd attacked holding what seemed to be a portable rail-gun on their hands: a third one appeared and helped the first one which Akemi had beaten stand up: they both warped and appeared on the air behind the one with the rail-gun: this one floated away to the left while the damaged one, apparently the lead one, brandished the right fist.

"Foolish woman! No – one shall stop our revenge!"

"I'm SO impressed. Silly men."

"Hmpf. Whatever. This was enough for a demonstration. You will pay the sin of having harmed me with your life! I'll remember this!" The figure hissed.

The 3 of them emitted a powerful white glow before they vanished without any trace: Akemi sighed and fixed the controls before running off and returning to Suzuki's PET: she deleted the records as Akemi disabled her disguise.

"There are 3 of them. One of them is the leader and the other two must be the lackeys. At least we found out something."

"Yeah. Problem is how we're going to tell them apart in the next encounter… And there could be more than just those 2 lackeys."

"You've got a point. Oh well. I'll report to Blues and Slur – sama."

14:57 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Gotcha! Shadow Nova!"

"Who are you calling Shadow Nova?"

"Geh! It's Blues! But Netsuhonoo said that…!"

"Raging Flame said what? Answer me!"

"That a Shadow Nova leftover was going to pass through here at this exact hour and he couldn't make it on time so I should capture them because I was closer…! Wait! You could be one of those "unlucky Greeks", a mimic!"

"No mimic can copy THIS!"

"Geh! The Muramasa Blade!"

"State your name…"

"Huh? Don't you remember it, man? I'm Blue Wave!"

"Hmpf. Out of the way."

"Fine, fine."

"Wait, Blues."

"Yes, Enzan – sama?"

"Maybe this guy will do for some sparring…"

"But, Enzan – sama… Although your leg is healed the medics said that you shouldn't force it…"

A Navi had jumped down from atop a building into a side-alley to intercept someone that was supposed to be a "Shadow Nova" leftover but it turned out to be Blues: the Navi began to get suspicious while Blues was annoyed and he'd drawn the Muramasa Blade: the Navi, Blue Wave, was about to leave but Enzan called out for Blues to spar with the guy.

"Don't worry. It's not like I need to run in a Net Battle."

"I think that as long as we don't go into Full Synchro then…"

"This is too narrow… Let's go the empty yard close by."

"Fine."

Blue Wave's main color, curiously enough, wasn't blue, but a shade of silver-like white or, rather, sky-blue color.

His helmet, like all of the other "Shunoros" members, only protected the front and sides of the head while allowing his blue-tinted hair to freely flow out.

As seen from the front, the forehead of the helmet had a device mounted upon it colored metallic gray: it was built using three different parts and the central one spanning across his forehead was shaped like a climbing hill: there then was a triangle-like extensions popping upwards with an orange-like spot on the center of it close to the top: a small piece in the form of an inverted triangle extended downwards and that was where his blue transparent shades were affixed at: his eyes' irises were blue.

The sides of the helmet were painted in that sky-blue color and had no decoration on them save for the "mizu" or "water" _kanji_ painted over the ears using silver-like ink.

The part of the helmet behind the front triangle had a fin spanning across it and until the back: the fin was divided in three parts as seen from the sides: a navy blue-colored climbing ramp line marked the middle section and the segment below it was colored in a dull gray color while the upper one used the sky blue color: a circling metallic band curved along the rear of the helmet.

This offered protection for the lower part of the head and the neck as well.

A metallic collar-like piece of armor was located around the base of the neck followed by the chest armor which had a metallic upper band followed by an inverted triangle-like piece of armor: the center of it had the initials "BW" set there.

The shoulder armor could be described as being the NW and NE quarters of a spheroid.

Each had a navy blue descending ramp – like line drawn across its length: the lower edges were curved and metallic coupled together with a small square piece on the SW and SE corners of the armor as well.

The forearms' armor (starting at around the elbow and past the exposed segment of arm covered by blue "skin") was rather simple in design having just a small ramp aiming past the armor and emerging from close to the upper edge: they were colored sky-blue too while the hands also were covered in blue "skin".

His boots were rather plain green models with two bands splitting the boots in three segments colored deep green.

They just had a trapeze-shaped piece of armor set vertically over the knees and one small triangle-like piece close to the star of the toes which had two small openings: it looked like it could vent off heat building up inside of the boots: the soils were plain metallic gray.

"Let's go!"

Blue Wave ran towards a nearby building and jumped over it and inside of a yard inside: Blues soon landed there and drew a Paladin Sword: Blue Wave grinned and tapped the ground with his right foot: it began to rumble and Blues got into defending position.

"Sea God's Anger!"

Several cracks formed on the ground and water gushed out from there, filling the yard until it stopped at knee-height: he then drew what seemed to be customized Vulcan Battle Chips with water deposits instead of ammunition chambers: he quickly submerged them into the water to load them up: Blues merely got ready to attack.

"Fight!"

"Hrah!"

"Sea God's Pressure~!"

Blue Wave aimed his guns at Blues as he jumped for him and they spun to start shooting out pressurized aqua jets.

"Hmpf!"

Blues quickly used his Paladin Sword as he moved to deflect each attack: Blues Wave formed an Aqua Blade using one of the deposits as basis and blocked Blues' Paladin Sword as he landed on the pool: Blue Wave grinned as the water began to rise again and stopped at waist-height: he quickly submerged the left deposit in the water and shot it towards Blues: he blocked each attack again but he then realized that he couldn't move too fast inside of the water: Blue Wave suddenly delivered a punch using a Freeze Knuckle and froze Blues' left side of the helmet: he was unfazed and used Area Steal to move to the roof from where he attacked with a Dream Sword attack: Blue Wave smirked and formed a 1m tall wave plus a surfing board: he rode on it and then jumped as he was about to hit the incoming Dream Sword: he clashed blades with Blues and they began to jump around trying to hit each other: Blue Wave put some distance and formed the wave again but Blues formed a Dash Condor to fly through it and drew an Elec Sword: Blue Wave gasped and quickly drew a Wood Slash to block and nullify the attack.

"I know my weakness!" He exclaimed.

"So it'd seem." Blues dully replied.

Blue Wave gasped and spotted a "Rabiri" Virus (Rabbit-shaped Virus) behind him that shot the Rabbit Ring towards him: he jumped and dodged while Blues calmly stopped it with his Elec Blade and sucked up the electricity to power it up: he flung the Elec Sword and formed streaks of electricity that travelled across the surface: Blue Wave used a Woody Tower to block and then attacked with a Jet Attack X: he hit Blues and broke through his defenses: Blues groaned and stepped back so Blue Wave did the same.

"I see… That's Breaker… So you can use the head."

"I feel praised. I'm not like Eisei and the other 2!" He drily replied.

"Don't lower the guard, Blues." Enzan commanded.

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

"Hyper Burst!"

"Fumikomizan!"

Blues quickly dashed forward at a quick speed as Blue Wave shot the Program Advance and was about to deliver the attack when Blue Wave's gun suddenly broke down into data and warped elsewhere: Blues' attack connected and Blue Wave stepped back but then gasped as he spotted the mysterious villain floating in the air and examining the Hyper Burst gun as it spun upon its axis: Blue Wave signaled there and Blues gasped.

"Who the hell are you?" Blues demanded.

"To tell us apart… I am Hell One. The one with the rail-gun is Hell Two and the 3rd one is Hell Three… Hell Three isn't the talkative type so that's what'll make you tell them apart."

"Whatever. I'll arrest you here and now."

"Be my guest. Powerless fool who relies on a cursed relic…"

Blues hissed something under his breath and quickly warped towards "Hell One" but they merely turned on the Hyper Burst gun and hit Blues' chest head-on: they then turned around and formed a Yura Virus (the Virus that moved around drawing a wave-like path) behind them that impacted at high speed with Blue Wave: he was electrocuted and he began to fall towards the ground: "Hell One" suddenly flew downwards and placed the gloved right hand over the neck: something beneath the armor glowed and a small piece of a greenish fluorescent mineral hovered away.

"My Oreichalcos Fragment…! Ugrah!"

He crashed face-up into the roof and got stuck on the crater he formed: "Hell One" vanished with that glow while Blues was trying to get to his fours: his chest emblem was heavily damaged.

"Plug Out!"

"Heck. Gotta report this to the Prince… If the guy's got the fragment then I'm sure they can recreate the "Boundary" as well… Bah! We know how to destroy them, anyway…! Ugrah! It all hurts… Damned punk!"

17:54 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I'm home."

"Yo~! Golden Leo~! Got news for ya!"

"What news, Napalm Man? Some new gag by M&F?"

"Heh, heh!"

"And it's Leon. Not "Golden Leo"."

A guy stepped into a room that looked like Kanou's one and was greeted by the Net Navi Napalm Man.

This guy, Leon, had white messy hair plus eyes with brown irises: his face was smooth and he had a good "profile" to him.

He looked like he was younger than Enzan and a bit shorter as well.

He simply wore a middle school uniform and carried a backpack which he left atop the bed without paying too much attention to Napalm Man who looked and sounded animated.

"Yessir! "But they've made ONE MISTAKE! Look at the figure of the fake note… What do you see?"… "A Brazilian girl dancing the _samba_!"… "A Ukrainian girl advertising a fan!"… "GRRFTJX! A _geisha_! It's a _geisha_! That mistake by the forger clearly tells us where these fake notes come from!"… "Of course! From Geyser-Ville, there, in Ireland, where they invented the geysers!"… "From GeisPorGiete, the country where they invented Math!"… Translator's note! Mortaledo's reply is a badly pronounced "Seis Por Siete", "Six Per Seven", made in purpose to rhyme with "geisha"! "From Japan, from Japan, from Japan! _Geisha_ are from JAPA~N!"…" He suddenly began to playback a pre-recorded audio with Burner Man's, Video Man's and Needle Man's voices acting a role each.

"Yeah, I know. Didn't expect them to know." Leon sighed and rolled his eyes as if he was too used to that.

"Heh, heh, heh!"

"And?"

"And then… There were no envoys!"

"Not Alfred next…"

"So? How it's goin' with the disciple?"

"You mean my junior in the school, Raito – kun… He's managed to get into high spirits, yeah."

"Because of my _manzai_ mails!"

"You've never sent any of those. Stop trying to act cool. You're so crappy at that."

"Heh, heh! But I'm good at BURNIN' UP!" He laughed.

"Sure. Now, can you go do something else? I've got homework to do for next week." Leon calmly began to set the materials atop the desk and sat down on the chair.

"Sure. I'm going to tell Alfred he needs more _calcium_!"

"Where'd you get the idea?"

"Some guy named Shark Man was saying it… Well, his Operator to be exacts… Some fisherman named Masa…"

"Ah. I see." He wasn't surprised.

"Heh, heh, heh. See ya~!"

Napalm Man de-materialized by becoming blocks of data that spun upon a central axis as data travelled upwards until it all warped out of the room: Leon sighed in relief and began to work on the homework.

 _This is_ Purgatory _, Golden Star's HQ… And I'm one of the Golden Star members… Napalm Man is a Navi they recently built for me… But I think Burner Man interfered too much and such ended up being too hyperactive and fond of pranks and silly jokes… Well. I did say I wanted a Navi with a cherry personality to encourage me when I get depressed or sad but in the end he ends up exasperating me 90% of the times. Dunno why I still bear with it: guess I ended up getting used to it. Ironies of life…_

He spent a while working on that while listening to some music using his laptop: he finally finished and looked out through the bullseye to see that night was creeping in.

DING-DONG

"Huh? The interphone… _Hai_ ~!"

He got up and walked towards the entrance: he pressed a button and the interphone's screen lit up to show that Kanou was the visitor: he gasped and quickly opened the door.

"President Hades, sir… Good evening, sir."

"Can you spare me a few minutes, Leon – kun?" Kanou asked.

"Of course, sir. Please come in, sir."

"Sorry for the intrusion."

Kanou stepped in and closed the door: Leon yielded the chair as he sat on the bed.

"Sorry for the sudden visit. It's just that… I felt like I've been shut on my office too much days as of late and I needed to see if everyone was in shape… And I felt obliged to look after the morale…"

"If it's about Slur – sama, then… You needn't feel guilty, sir. We know you've done all you can to try to convince her to stop looking at us like we aren't doing anything useful."

"Yes, I know. But nevertheless… I was raised to take responsibility very seriously… Even if they are things beyond my control… As long as they're related to me… I must take responsibility. Just in case that's why I asked Zarashe – kun to come pick you up to drive you here instead of Mademoiselle…"

"Yes, I know that Slur – sama sometimes disguises as a human pretending to be your secretary, sir. And she usually is the one that comes pick me up after school to drive me here, sir."

"It's hardly a secret nowadays, anyway." He chuckled.

"Well. In my case… I spend a lot of hours away in school so that helps me get away from the oppressive atmosphere that's been hanging around here as of late… Yet I could feel the impatience on Slur – sama when she drove me to school… Good thing you suggested that Zarashe – san change places…" He admitted.

"Yes, although that was Ikada – san's idea. I suggested that she could do it since it was her idea but for some reason she suggested Zarashe – kun would do it better. Maybe she thought that she'd be pulling some worthless jokes along the way." He muttered as he rubbed his chin and seemed to be thinking about it.

 _More like she'd be teasing me non-stop… As if she didn't have enough with making Zarashe – san stick up with her to pretend he's her boyfriend… Ikada – san can be too selfish from time to time… But let's not get started with Tozukana – san or Qong – san… The first one is constantly trying to pull a joke on me and the latter practically ignores everyone…_

"Are you alright?"

"Huh? Ah! Y-yes, sir. I simply was going over the homework."

"Ah. If that's it… You can always ask me if you have some doubt. I know you're under the orders of _Noir_ – kun but if there's something he doesn't know how to answer… I'm not saying he doesn't know the answer, it's just that he's still young… And I have far more life experience. Well then. I'll be going. Stay healthy." He stood up.

"Thank you very much, sir." He politely bowed.

"It's nothing. I believe in the potential of the children of the future."

He stepped out of the room and Leon sat back on the chair while looking slightly intrigued.

"Children of the future, huh… We're the ones to build the "future"… We've got a great responsibility… A great burden too… So that's why I must use all of my potential and make up for my wasted time. Not like _I_ was the one who caused it to go to waste… But that Demon… Huh! Square root of 144: 12! Eh… 365 between 30… Approximately 12.17!"

"666 between 666: approximately 1! Nyah, hah, hah!" Napalm Man suddenly laughed from the PC.

"Sheesh. When did you get back?"

"Right now! I had an intense heated up showdown with my fellow Burner Man! It ended up in nothing but BURNIN' PASSION!"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure."

"Oh yeah! And 'long the way… The guy from the _Musou_ games dropped by to yell something!"

"You mean Yamato Man. Stop comparing him to…"

"Wait! Now I'll compare the guy to Fire Emblem! Roy! Marth!"

"Do as you like but if he challenges you to a duel then it'll be your fault: and you'll only worsen Slur – sama's mood." Leon warned.

"YIKES!" He seemingly felt a shiver go down his spine.

"There, settled."

"Man. Slur – sama and her moods… I hope she fixes that… I can bear her dull mood and all but that glare…" He sighed.

"I know. You're not the only one. Were it so easy." Leon muttered.

"Well! To fix this mood… "And you're Gonnakirr-YaGranny, the bank notes forger?"… "Yes, but I am old and I now only forge _bonsai_ … But still too big, need more practice!"… Turns out those fakes are as tall as pines!"

"Yeah, I know. When they finally breach into the Japanese forger's home and it turns out he's not the forger because he stopped forging notes… It's from the album "The Euro's come!"… About someone forging Euro bank notes before they start officially circulating… And M&F traveling the world trying to find the culprit…" He calmly muttered back.

 _Speaking of finding the culprit… Could be anywhere in the world for all we know… Even in some abandoned spot in the African savanna… What's their purpose? To annoy us? To fight us? To rule the world? Sheesh._


	4. Chapter 4: Ugly guys

**Chapter 4: Ugly guys**

07:03 AM (Kabul Time), Saturday January the 20th…

"… Hell Two, Hell Three. I assume you have come on time."

"Yes, our Lord! Command us."

"Good enough. We need more battle data."

"What do we use to gather it?"

"I have prepared a little "something"… Use them."

"Your will."

"Remember. We are the Lords of the Cave. They shall not conquer us so easily. We shall not openly engage. We shall maneuver behind the scenes and manipulate to achieve our goals."

"Hell One" was standing inside of an almost unlit room somewhere illuminated only by the glow of a nearby LCD screen and the LEDs set on a server group: the hum of AC could be heard along with the one of the servers: "Hell Two" and "Hell Three" were kneeling in front of "Hell One" yet only "Hell Two" was talking while "Hell Three" was silent.

"Your will."

"I am charging you with this, Hell Two. Hell Three. You will assist me on preparing the emergency plan in case the main one were to fail. That is all. Move it." "Hell One" commanded.

"Hell Two" bowed and de-materialized while "Hell Three" stood up and followed "Hell One" towards the LCD screen linked to a laptop.

"Finish testing this batch of data. I will upgrade security."

"Hell Three" silently bowed and began to work with the laptop while "Hell One" merely opened a holographic screen and began to look at some data.

"Only rats and mice… Anything bigger would trigger the alarms. Good. It was a good idea to use this place. Fools… Regret getting in our way!"

09:48 AM (Japan Time)…

"… So, Boss… What's the job?"

"Easy, Miquel – kun… Some small Navi gang that's doing some petty thieving around Nara…"

"I see. Piece of a cake, eh, Andy?"

"Don't get cocky~… Kage – chan…"

"HUH? Oh come on. Andy. That was LAME!"

"I dunno~! Heh, heh!"

"Guess that it's Andy – kun's payback for something."

"For pulling that joke~!"

"Fine, fine!"

"Anyway… _Noir_ – sama. Should I go too?"

"Sure. The more the cheerier and faster it'll end."

Four guys (two humans and 2 Net Navis) had gathered in an office room inside of _Purgatory_ and were animatedly talking.

This office room had a desk, two chairs for visitors, one for the owner, and a canvas depicting a German _u-boot_ surfaced in the middle of a lagoon somewhere which seemed to be somewhere in South Ameroupe.

One of the 2 humans was sitting on a chair behind a desk.

That someone wore a black monk's tunic with hood which hid the face and their voice was soft yet it was clear it was a man.

"Roger, _Noir –_ sama."

"By the way, Legato… What's Alfred's newest madness? Did you pick it up as I asked of you?"

"Yes, sir. "Such a cat can't be such a cat."."

"Sounds like the guy, alright. Heh. I feel like it."

Legato, _Noir_ 's Navi, used black as his main "skin" color, yet his upper torso had red blood armor built over it: there were two black shapes drawn over the shoulders having a golden rim and a thin black line spread from the base of the neck to the lower edge of the armor.

His helmet's main color was blood red as well, yet the inner edges surrounding his thick red shades had a tint of purple to them:

An emblem with a black edge was set on the chest: it consisted of white and black halves split by a thunderbolt-shaped line: white was golden and silver was right.

A purple band formed on the forehead and circled the whole diameter of it: two valley-shaped cavities had been inserted into the sides of it and they ended in golden circles: a "fin" sprouted from the top of the helmet thus giving it a menacing-like look.

The forearms were colored blood red and had two purple-colored parallel formations which originated at the sides of the emblem atop each hand's palm: they spread over the edge of the forearm while forming a pyramid-like shape.

His right forearm currently held a purple-colored Long Sword with a customized hilt.

The central body of the forearm was now colored metallic gray and had two purple circles colored yellow inside: a purplish-colored blade emerged around a cone-shaped purple-colored formation: the blade looked sharp and menacing for some reason or another.

His boots began slightly below the knee and had purple-colored diamond-like shapes which extended as high as the knee: they were colored blood red as well: the soils were colored purple, too.

Lastly, a wild flock of silver hair came out from behind the helmet and covered all of his body's back.

Overall, he looked like a revamped Blues.

"So. Kage. Did you find that invention that makes your shadow go alive?"

"Heh. That was in one of the short stories… Haven't… Yet."

"Maybe we need to invent something like it."

Kage Miquel, the other human, had blonde hair and, since he'd put sunglasses on, his eyes weren't visible.

His choice of clothing consisted on a brown overcoat, a pair of jeans and black knee-tall boots.

He also wore a black wool bandana which contained a five-pointed golden star set against a black background inside of a silver circle as emblem.

"You guys get too cocky~… You need a lukewarm shower."

"Heh. Guess that, Andy."

"Alright. Let's get on the move."

Andy, the other visitor, was about standard height, that is, over a meter and seventy, maybe closer to eighty.

His eyes' irises were a mix of red and golden and he didn't seem to be too surprised or amused, either.

Some silver-colored hair could be seen emerging from beneath his helmet as well.

His whole body with the exception of his forearms and boots was painted in a bright silver color.

The boots and forearms, however, had been tinted in a slightly rusted bronze color.

A bronze-colored thin vertical stripe ran across his body from the neck to the end of the crotch crossing over his silver-edged chest emblem (the very same on Kage's bandana).

"I've sent you the coordinates."

Andy merely nodded in agreement as he de-materialized along with Legato: Kage drew a golden and silver PET and opened the screen while _Noir_ used the laptop to keep track of Legato.

"48 seconds until destination."

"We beat them a bit and then the local police do the rest. Right?"

"Correct."

"31 seconds."

"By the way. Make sure that your end of the hi-speed lane is properly protected. We don't want those Carnival punks slipping inside during that opening." Andy warned.

"You're right. I'll increase the security level from 6 to 7."

"Good. Before Slur – sama's mood worsens…" Kage sighed.

"I know. It'd seem President Hades is attempting it all but it's not having the desired effect. I was hoping that that XY guy could contribute and he's tried as well but… Huff." _Noir_ sighed.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Arrival!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… So you've come to be beaten to a pulp, eh, rival gang rascals?"

"Hmpf. Hah!"

"Wha!"

"Elemental Sword!"

Kage looked at the screen how Andy and Legato were facing a crowd of bad-looking guys with crude weapons like steel bars, hammers, spikes and so: Legato formed a weapon on his right forearm made of two parallel purple-colored shapes running down the sides of it: they looked reminiscent of planes missing the wings and seen from the sides: the central body of the forearm was colored metallic gray and had two purple circles colored yellow inside of a black pattern: reddish electricity began to form on it and then gave way to a sphere of red energy which shot at the crowd: it caused an explosion and took out 6 of them at once: Andy rushed in with the Program Advance and calmly attacked 4 in a row: the remaining 30 or so stepped back.

"Who the hell! Ya aren't the rival gang!"

"Nope. We're the strong guys." Legato sneered.

"Friends of BIG SARU!"

"Big Monkey~?" Some wondered.

"It's a secret." Andy sneered.

"Heh, heh, heh. Big Saru's the master of MGS!" Kage chuckled.

"Who cares? Let's bust! HORRA~H!" One of them roared as if trying to encourage the others.

Some of them rushed for the duo: Legato switched to a Long Sword with a customized hilt colored purple and swung: he formed a reddish Sonic Boom that hit one of the Navis and formed a red energy spheroid that began to rise into the air along with the Navi before giving way to a blackish tornado: several Navis got trapped inside and began to be cut by energy inside of the tornado: there was a sudden sound and a gigantic meteor suddenly crashed inside of the warehouse and caused a gigantic explosion: Legato and Andy were able to escape in time but the building collapsed and began to burn.

"What the hell? That's not one of my moves!" Legato gasped.

"I didn't input anything either!" Kage gasped next.

"Which means that…"

They looked up and spotted one of the "Hell" trio hovering in the air above the collapsed warehouse.

"Intended to kill two birds with a stone… Literally." Legato fumed.

"If you're SO strong come down and fight me!" Andy challenged.

The enemy didn't reply and a rain of meteors bigger than the Meteor 9 Battle Chip began to rain down: Andy hissed and formed a Dream Aura to protect them as the meteors rained down: a figure headed for the enemy from behind and delivered a kick to the back.

"Gotcha!"

The enemy, caught with the guard down, fell into the ground: a dice rolled next to the enemy and ended up in the number 6 so six consecutive explosions rang out followed by a Count Bomb and a ball having the number 100 written on it.

"Hra~h! Number Man's come!"

"Number Man…! Net Police collaborator…!"

"Hum. Not bad. Managed to catch the guy with the guard down but problem is how the guy will counter."

Andy and Legato calmly looked on as Number Man drew his Number Tembou: the enemy stood up and faced Number Man while gesticulating in a manner that seemingly displayed their annoyance.

"Like I care." Number Man shrugged.

The enemy seemed to get further annoyed and grabbed the robe with the right hand as if intending to pull it away: they began to pull but, for some reason, it wouldn't move: they stopped and seemed surprised at that: they suddenly got forcibly retrieved an annoyed voice rang out.

"Hmpf."

"You must be "Hell One"." Andy guessed.

"Hmpf."

"And that was the quiet "Hell Three"…" Legato guessed next.

"Hmpf."

"Heh. You're a CD player set in repeat track mode, I see."

"Sheesh."

"Why did you try to delete us, huh?"

"You could get in the way of my plans." "Hell One" fumed.

"Don't they all say that? You shouldn't have started a brawl with us."

"I thought you were mere hypocrites that would start shivering with some criticism by the society."

"Hypocrites, huh? Talk about yourself. You don't show your true colors to anyone. Maybe you're as ugly as an Orc?"

"Who knows?"

"Nobody does. Expect for maybe… BIG SARU." Legato snickered.

"Who's that? An ally of that man?" "Hell One" questioned with obvious suspicion.

"That man?" Both wondered.

"Yes. That man."

"Sorry. But without specifics…" Andy shrugged.

"And here I thought you were buddy-buddy."

"Something tells me we aren't and we never were. I think you lack data somewhere."

"Hmpf. Fine. So I lack data. And what if. Sooner or later I will have it. Time is my ally. Patience is the key to victory. Not some show-off Navi that spends days annoyed and not giving orders."

"Don't you do that too when your pride is attacked?" Andy challenged next.

"I don't need pride. It's on the way. So I deleted it."

"I wonder about that. It's true that it should be possible for Net Navis yet… You never know. Maybe our own AI is so advanced that it will notice it lacks that and eventually it will regenerate it?"

"Hum. Maybe. Bah. I only need to delete it again and again. Until it's completely gone. Eyesores… If only they went down with a bang…"

"Wouldn't we all wish that, anyway?"

"Hmpf. You got lucky. Once. No – one gets lucky twice. It is Fate."

"Fate? Oh come on. Fate doesn't exist. It's not proven." Legato sighed, disappointed.

"Like I care. If I say it's Fate then it's Fate. End of the tale!"

"Reality distortion field, I guess?"

"Go, my Viruses! Annihilate them! Die."

"METTO~!"

A horde of about 200 Mettools rushed out of nowhere and towards them: both gasped and jumped into the air along with Number Man: _Noir_ inputted some commands and formed a floating disc-shaped platform: Legato and Andy began to attack from there along with Number Man.

"Why were you here, anyway?" Andy asked.

"I got an email by Punk saying he needed help… Yamitarou and I checked it and no matter how much times we dissected it… It was real! But I couldn't establish contact with him or Meijin so I rushed here…"

"Maybe the enemy was hoping to wipe you out along with us… I guess they've accessed Meijin's PC and sent the mail from there so that you would be convinced it was real." Legato deduced.

"Huff. Today's not my day, huh? Starting with Yamitarou getting burnt because he overheated the instant noodles on the microwave heater… If only he paid some more attention…"

"Well. Maybe he because he lives in the dark he's careless when it comes to the heat?" Kage attempted a pun.

"Talk about yourself, Miquel – kun." _Noir_ warned with some annoyance.

"Oh come on! Boss! I didn't want to annoy ya!"

"Then don't criticize others in such a carefree manner!"

"We're managing somehow… Now the Mettools are confused and attack each other which makes it easier. Keep loading PAs into my cache memory." Andy reported.

"Number Dice! Number Ball! Count Bomb!"

"Hrah! Hah! Hyrah!"

"OK! Dream Sword: loading complete!"

"Dream Sword!"

"Less than 30 left, sir." Legato reported.

"Good. Pull out once you're finished. And, Number Man… Next time go straight to the Net Police HQ." _Noir_ suggested.

"Understood."

"How could they know we'd appear here?" Kage wondered.

"Hmmm… Maybe they leaked the info in purpose to lure us."

"That's gotta be it, yeah." Andy agreed on it.

"But I still find it strange that that Navi didn't talk. Is his speech program damaged or he's trying to pose as a "cool and silent" character in the first place?" Number Man wondered.

"Could be either. But if they can program those things then it should be easy to fix a speech program. Or update it with a new version. Maybe it's more like the latter. Trying to play cool." Legato argued back.

"That's the last one. Mega Cannon!"

"Phew! Well then. See you around, Number Man. Look out on the way back. The guy could come back with a vengeance." Andy warned him.

"Wouldn't surprise me. I'll go straight to report to Blues."

"To _ani-ue-sama_ , eh? Good luck." Legato chuckled.

"Don't get cocky." _Noir_ scolded.

"Same for you, Miquel – kun." Andy warned.

"Yeah, I know! You needn't remind me. Sheesh." Kage sighed.

"Rascals… They want war? They'll have it. My word!"

15:45 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hey, Corvus… Don't you hear yells?"

"Odd. I thought this area was deserted, Wolf…"

"I detected about… 200 signatures closing in!"

"What? A Virus horde?"

"No. The reading's different… It's more like…!"

"YA~H!"

"Huh? These guys… Haven't we seen them before?"

"Who cares? Let's bust 'em! Evil Corvus _danna_!"

"Heh! Well said, Venomous Wolf, my buddy! Time to go wild!"

Two Navis had been apparently chatting inside of a warehouse when yells rang out: a crowd burst in so both began to fight them back while chatting amongst them.

One of them, Evil Corvus, had a small diamond-shaped purple piece of armor directly over his head, on his helmet's topmost spot, to shield it despite the rear of it being open and unprotected: the dominant color here was a shade of metallic-like gray coloring plus two small parallel lines which looked like a reclined seat symbol when seen from the profile, starting on the forehead's armor lower edge and reaching until the end of the helmet's length.

He had two large wing-like extensions popping out of both sides of the head: a pair of transparent reddish shades protected his eyes.

The chest armor's centermost spot contained the Alphabet initials "EC" painted in blood red color there.

The armor included a partial ring around the base of the neck to shield it and a thin orange stripe signaling the border between the neck's base and the start of the armor: the frontal plate protruded out of it while forming a shape reminiscent of a hexagon yet slightly different at the same time.

The shoulders' armor included orange stripes which got thinner as they headed for the outer edges and two extensions aiming downwards like triangles protecting part of the arms: two small wing-like triangles originated on the eastern and western sides of the shoulders' armor and extended in a diagonal angle.

The forearms and boots design was a total copy of that of the other "Shunoros" members colored on his own shade of gray coloring and having metallic soils on the boots.

"Eat claws! Eat wind! Hah!"

"Au~h! I'm not as cool as Wolverine but I can slash!"

The other, Venomous Wolf, was about Leon's height: his helmet's color was a shade of green which looked closer to blue: the helmet was already rather reminiscent of a wolf with two small ear-like extensions popping out from the top and aiming upwards in a 45º angle.

Just below those there were two small curved orange stripes which looked like pupils: the round plain ear-pads had two small teal brown-colored paws emerging from the left side of them and forming a shape reminiscent of a crab's pincers; two larger paws aimed backwards popping from the NW and NE edges.

The forehead also had a white metallic triangle which could be the jaw: transparent greenish shades covered the eyes.

His shoulders were plain with a small circling brown band where the forearms emerged and two large paws popping out of the outer edges while curving like a shark's fins.

The chest armor included the initials "VW" written in an orange color: other details were the two small squares of that same orange color set on the SW and SE corners of the armor.

The forearms' armor (starting around the elbow and past the exposed segment of arm covered by green "skin") only had a small ramp aiming past the armor and emerging from close to the upper edge: the forearms were green and the hands were covered in green "skin".

His boots were also simple in design: they just had a trapeze-shaped piece of armor set vertically over the knees and one small triangle-like piece close to the star of the toes which had two small openings.

These opening looked like they could vent off heat building up inside of the boots: the soils were plain metallic gray.

"Gua~h!"

"I remember! These are the crowd enemies of _Biohazard 6_! The thugs of Neo Nebula…!" Evil Corvus recognized.

"I don't think this is Golden Star's idea…" Venomous Wolf muttered.

"Sharp! Are we not, runts?"

"Huh? Ah! You're the railgun rascal!"

"Indeed! Hell Two is my name!"

"Hell Two", armed with the railgun, showed up higher in the air as both were busy dealing with the crowds: there were all types of armed men with masks and yelling.

"Sheesh. These are the guys in the Choina part of the game: the masked rascals… And they don't stop coming for more!" Venomous Wolf complained as he dashed forward while crossing his claws in the shape of the "X" letter.

"You needn't tell me. Hurricane Dance! Hammer Weapon X!"

"Hum. Those Battle Chips…" "Hell Two" muttered.

"Battle _Cards_! Old-timer." Venomous Wolf tried taunting.

"Kuroban designed them."

"And what if? Got a problem, complain to the _Danna – sama_. If he doesn't turn you into scrap before that, that is." Evil Corvus shrugged.

"Hmpf! We shall use his weapons against him! Hah!"

"Think again! Radar Missile!"

"Mugroh!"

A few missiles flew across the air, having locked into "Hell Two" and impacted him yet they didn't make a single wound to the robe: he still held the railgun and he loaded it up to shoot at Evil Corvus but Venomous Wolf jumped in front and used his claws to block it.

"I'm Wood – elemental so Elec attacks are null!"

"And here I thought you were Sword – type. Hmpf. Those idiots could've bothered to gather far more data. Or not to delete it when their stupid leader got defeated." "Hell Two" fumed.

"I see. So the data those "unlucky Greeks" gathered got deleted when Shadow Nova's leader got busted. That explains why you bother to gather it again." Evil Corvus snickered.

"Hum. And what do you gain from such lust?" "Hell Two" suddenly questioned.

"Huh? Ah! You mean our playtime? What do we gain? Ain't it obvious? We have fun and pleasure!"

"Pleasure? I thought that only came with victory."

"That's true but pleasure can come with many things. Old-timer."

"Hmpf."

"Garu~!"

"Garuus next! How annoying! Wide Wave X!"

Garuus rushed in next and Venomous Wolf grumbled as he shot a Wide Wave attack at them: Evil Corvus began to toss Count Bombs at the crowds as well: there was a hum and Spark Bees rushed in next so Venomous Wolf began to attack them using his elemental advantage: both then quickly warped out of the building as a powerful tornado appeared and tore it off the ground and tossed it into a nearby magma lake: "Hell Two" grumbled.

"We know what you've done this morning."

"Same trick won't work twice!" Venomous Wolf exclaimed.

"Hah! Meteor 9!"

"Zetsumetsu Meteor!"

"What!"

"Hell Two" summoned the rod to make meteors fall down but bigger and faster ones began to bombard his position with precision all of a sudden and in a row: he roared and jumped away as he panted yet his robes were undamaged.

"An invisible "Dark Aura"… So that's your trick…" Evil Corvus spotted.

"Sheesh."

"And our Battle Cards are designed with counter-measures to avoid being scanned or copied. The Prince isn't going to hand over his inventions so easily. The Oreichalcos fragment was unexpected but same trick won't work twice." Venomous Wolf snickered.

"Hmpf! Whatever. We can always recreate them using the battle data: don't underestimate our capabilities! Go, Obelisk! God Hand Crusher!"

The "Giant God Soldier of Obelisk" suddenly formed there, roared and flung both fists forward: they hit the ground and a powerful shockwave originated, hitting both combatants because they'd lowered the guard, and pushing them several meters away: they got to their feet and panted because some segments of their armors had suffered grave damage and were breaking down into data.

"Farewell! Crush them to death, Obelisk!"

"Fuck. That thing's over-powered!" Venomous Wolf cursed.

"It's useless to try to fight it in our state! Let's pull out!"

Both distorted the air around them as a black circle formed behind each one so they quickly jumped backwards inside of them and vanished as Obelisk's next attack made the ground crumble and collapse towards the depths of the Reverse Internet: it roared and then vanished…

19:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh! I'm invincible~!"

"Or so you think. The ultimate weapon's coming!"

"Oh crap!"

"Chance!"

"Heh, heh! Too bad, Netto – kun! 1st place's mine!"

"I got 2nd!"

"Oh heck! I got 4th because another online player used a Golden Mushroom to accelerate while I was trying to get control back! I lowered the guard!"

"You didn't do badly either, Raito – kun!"

"T-thank you very much, Saito – san."

"Don't be shy! It's just a game, Raito…"

Netto (wearing his usual outfit but having changed the shorts for jeans) and Saito (wearing similar to Netto but with a blue vest instead and no bandana) had been playing on their bedroom _Mario Kart Wii_ along with a guest named Raito.

Raito appealed to be on his early teens: maybe he was close to a meter and sixty tall.

He had brownish smooth hair and brown eye irises: he also had reading glasses on.

He wore a simple grey sports vest and black sports trousers along with white socks.

"Man. That was close." Netto sighed.

"Hmmm? Wait. One of these players is named "King of Napalm"… Maybe it's Napalm Man?" Saito spotted.

"Wouldn't surprise me." Raito calmly muttered.

"Yo~! King of Napalm here~! How's it goin', Golden Leo's apprentice~?"

"Napalm Man – san. It is rude to intrude into others' PETs." Raito sighed as he glanced at his PET (colored brown and with no emblem).

"Heh, heh! And there are Andy's pals, right?"

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Saito sighed.

"Hmmm… Maybe!" He laughed.

"Oh come on." Netto sighed.

"Napalm Man! Stop meddling around and get back!" Legato scolded over Napalm Man's radio.

"Geh! It's the _Danna_!" He gasped.

"Do you want to further anger Slur – sama or what?"

"N-no, man! I'm coming, I'm coming!"

"Phew." They all sighed in relief.

"Really." Legato fumed.

"Ah yes. Tomorrow _senpai_ and I will be going to have a walk at the mountains for some fresh air."

"Excellent idea. Maybe it'd do us wonders too."

"Yeah. Guess that. I'm glad that we finally made Dekao land back to Earth… Really. Talk about a troublesome guy." Netto sighed.

"You needn't tell me."

"Maybe we could call for Tooru – kun to join us."

"Good idea. The more the merrier. But don't worry, Raito – kun. We'll pick another route so that you and Leon – kun can chat without interruptions and take as much time as you want."

"Thank you very much."

"It's nothing."

Netto's PET rang so he picked it up and answered to the call: Ayanokouji Yaito showed up onscreen.

"Hey, Hikari – kun! News!"

"What news, Yaito?"

"The Alabama Punks are back for more!"

"Alabama Punks? What the heck's that?" Netto frowned.

"Huh? Wasn't that your favorite heavy metal band?"

"No. My favorite group is "The Rasmus", a Finnish rock band."

"Oh crap. Sorry! I got them wrong!"

"Oh don't worry. Anyone can make a mistake. Speaking of which: I guess you're taking your business training seriously?"

"O-of course I am! I'm not going to lose to the likes of egg-head!"

"Egg-head? Enzan? Ever since when?"

"I just dug up an old book in one of my manor's libraries: it says that my family, Ayanokouji, and egg-head's family, Ijuuin, have had a rivalry since several generations ago! So I'm not going to lose to the guy to protect my family's honor! I'M BURNING!"

"Ya-Yaito – sama! C-calm down, ma'am!" Glyde gasped.

"You take care I don't run out of strawberry milk!"

"Y-yes, ma'am…"

"And that's it! See ya next week! Wait for me, egg-head! I'm gonna beat ya with my own hands! HMPF!"

Yaito ended the call and Netto calmly placed the PET back where it was, hardly surprised: Saito wasn't either and Raito only looked slightly surprised.

"Ijuuin Enzan – san… He was the Operator of the famed Blues, no?" He seemed to recall.

"Sure. And a member of the Net Police Cyber CID. You know I and Rock Man were members of it too but we quit years ago after that duel in the Colosseum." Netto shrugged.

"Yes. I know."

"Netto, Saito, Raito – kun! The cake's ready~!" Haruka called out from downstairs.

"Woho~!" Netto suddenly got into high spirits and stood up.

"You don't change when it comes to food. You still get all energetic like years ago." Saito grinned as he calmly stood up as well.

"How can't I? Mama's cakes, curry, the meat spaghetti…!"

"Heh." Saito grinned.

The group headed downstairs and washed their hands by turns on the restroom before sitting on the table where green tea and a recently baked pea cake had been placed: Haruka was humming a tune as she sliced it up and served it into dishes.

"It's just come out of the oven so be careful!"

"OK!"

"KO by heat!" Saito made a joke.

"How original." He sighed.

"Hey. At least it's better than M&F."

"I know."

"Because, you know… "We got another sample, a 20 Euro note. Look and compare… What do you see?"… "Man! I'd say they stuffed Minister Casco's face, no?"… "I'd rather say it's the President of the Athletic of Madrid…"…"It's that Schwarzenegger guy from the movies! Which makes us think that these fake notes were printed in the Very United States of Ameroupe!"…" Saito suddenly played back an audio file with the PET.

"Yeah. They got back from Japan empty-handed…"

"OK! Let's eat. _Itadakimasu_!"

"Yessir!"

" _Itadakimasu_ …"

"Enjoy!"

The 3 them of them began to ate the cake: Netto was highly spirited, Saito looked amused and Raito was calm while Haruka giggled and drank some of the green tea.

"Excellent as always! The Saturday cake is the best!"

"Followed by the Sunday pork curry rice?" Saito asked.

"Of course!"

"And 3rd place is for the meat spaghetti?"

"Yessir!"

"Heh. Anyway… I'll write the mail to Tooru – kun to invite him. I'll try inviting Andy as well: you write to Kage – kun."

"I know. But I'm afraid the guy's gotta be busy and all."

"It's worth a try, anyway."

"OK!"

"KO by green tea!"

"Sheesh."

"I'm sneaky~…" Saito grinned.

"Sneaky Snake, yeah, I knew that." Netto chuckled.

"It is as excellent as always, Aunt." Raito timidly told Haruka.

"You needn't be shy, my dear. Have as much as you want!"

"Anyway… Netto – kun. Next time let's storm a storm."

"Very funny! Oh well. Let's have fun! Heh, heh!"


	5. Chapter 5: Strength & wisdom

**Chapter 5: Strength & wisdom**

08:14 AM (Moscow Time), Sunday January the 21st…

"… Fua~h… 'Morning, Doctor."

"Good morning, Forte. Did the rest prove worth it?"

"Sure. I feel refreshed. Today's a Sunday. So there's no big deal."

"No. I expect no visits either. Save for Serenade, of course."

"Sure. Speaking of which…"

"Good morning. Forte. Dr. Cossack."

"Hey. Serenade. Any big news?"

"Not really."

Forte awoke from sleep mode inside of a computer somewhere and greeted Dr. Cossack over a holographic screen: they began to chat and Serenade stepped in next with his classical calm and composed manner.

"What about that Obelisk that showed up yesterday?"

"I tried to find it but no luck. I am afraid it got retrieved into a foreign server and there were a lot of missing links and roads along the way: the trail turned cold in a Cape Town server." Serenade explained to Forte and Dr. Cossack.

"Cape Town? In South Africa? So the culprits could be in Africa?" Forte wondered.

"Or not. Maybe it is a detour to make people think that."

"Hmmm? Phone? Hello? Ah. It's you, Mordozv… What? Intruders in the college servers? Again? Understood… I'll send a friend I know. Try to get as many data on them as you can. Yes. Yes. Later!" Dr. Cossack began to talk with someone over the phone.

"Trouble." Forte sighed.

"So it would seem."

"Forte, Serenade. Can I count on you two?"

"Of course. Forte. I am sorry but…"

"I know. I need to disguise and use standard Battle Chips. But I've trained with them so I can use them in an efficient manner."

Forte snapped his right hand's fingers and a hologram of a standard Navi formed over his body: he nodded at Serenade and they got out through a gate in the firewall to jump into a hi-speed lane: after a minute or two of travelling they jumped right into a warp point and got warped to a large firewall which had some holes opened on it: sounds of gunfire and yells rang out from inside.

"Let us go. Without grudge."

"OK."

They rushed in and found a horde of strange enemies that had a vague human shape but looked like they'd been horribly mutated: most of the right arm had a weird shape that was moving like a chainsaw and it was powerful enough to cut most Navis into two with a single swing: they soon turned their attention to the newcomer duo.

"Those things…? Ah! From _Biohazard 6_ : they're the "Ubistvo": there's only one in the game but the thing is VERY ANNOYING and a stalker to top it off! Avoid that chainsaw-like thing, Serenade!" Forte warned.

"Understood. Return to your maker. Holy Shock!"

"Gruge~h!"

"Super Vulcan!"

"Mugre~h! Gre~h!"

"Shit! It won't die so easily."

Serenade stepped forward and extended his right hand to shoot out energy spheres that bombarded the ground around the enemies thus defeating some due to the high power: Forte tried using a Super Vulcan and momentarily stunned one of them but it wasn't enough.

"Come to these… Tank Cannon!"

"Mugre~h!"

Forte shot the Tank Cannon at the enemy rushed for him and it pierced through it thus deleting it: a new horde of about 30 of them showed up next so Forte cursed under his breath: Serenade did not lose his cool and formed a Sonic Boom to cut 5 of them that were rushing for him in a row: Forte formed a Neo Variable Sword and quickly rushed for another batch of enemies to cut them up: he then delivered a kick to the right leg of another to push it away and quickly beheaded it: Forte spotted 3 rushing from behind so he used the Area Steal to get behind them and split them in half too: he noticed something so he used a Woody Tower to attack a spot in the air where there apparently was nothing: the attack made contact with some kind of field and it frizzled thus revealing one of the "Hell" trio there.

"Hmpf. So you saw through my optical camouflage."

"You're "Hell One", right?"

"Indeed. I shall make you experience true despair."

"True despair? I'm so impressed."

"Hmpf. Trying to play hypocrite won't help you survive. I know what you really are: a killing machine!"

"That was my other self. It's gone. I'm unrelated to that."

"What? Impossible!"

"Not impossible at all. That was another personality born from the shock and the despair and hopelessness Forte felt on that time. I myself purged it from his body and returned him to what he was." Serenade replied.

"Damn it. And here I was hoping that power would make me stronger."

"The Dark Side doesn't make you stronger. It deceives. It makes you think you're stronger. It betrays you." Forte taunted.

"Like I care. Hypocrite."

"You're the hypocrite who can't do better than Shadow Nova."

"What was that? I can't do better than that herd of junk?" "Hell One" hissed with obvious anger.

"You heard me."

"Don't insult my pride! I am one of the "Lords of the Cave"!"

"What cave? The one in your imagination? "Open, Sesame!"…"

"HMPF!"

They suddenly vanished from the site as Forte and Serenade continued fighting the enemies: there was a growl and the "Obelisk" showed up there yet there was a curious green fluorescent crest on its forehead and its eyes glowed red.

"The Oreichalcos mark! It's powered up!" Forte gasped.

"We shall see." Serenade did not lose his cool.

"I finally find you and… What is that?"

"Huh? Why, Slur. Good timing. That is the handiwork of those interlopers."

"Hmpf! That is the best they can do? Pathetic. I shall put an end to that thing."

Slur flew into the server because she'd apparently been looking for Serenade but gasped when seeing the mole of the "Obelisk" which was trying to hit Forte who jumping from spot to spot on its huge body: Slur hissed and displayed anger as Serenade said what it was: she quickly flew higher and extended her right hand: she extended two thin wires with a miniature cylinder at their end which formed a dagger form followed by a tetragon and by a rectangular shaft with a triangular lower edge: the two ends converged into another triangular end and then the frame was filled with energy becoming a graceful sword which she plunged into the forehead crest: it shattered as Serenade extended the left hand forward and formed some spheres of energy that bombarded the monster's face.

"Mugro~h…!"

"Be gone."

She flew away and lifted the left hand and drew a red circle around the area, encompassing "Obelisk" and some of the chainsaw monsters: red light began to emerge from inside of the circle, causing an explosion which pushed the chainsaw monsters away while deleting them: a massive spread of destructive energy to encompassed most of the terrain.

"MUGRO~H!"

When the explosion cleared the "Obelisk" was gone and only some chunks of data remained around the area: "Hell One" had collapsed into the ground because they'd apparently been hiding close by and the explosion damaged them: Slur floated down and aimed the blade at them.

"Hmpf."

"What's this power…?"

"Something beyond you foolish Net Navis' imagination."

She quickly turned around and extended her left hand to absorb the burst from the railgun shot by "Hell Two" and turn it into a ball: she closed the hand and the energy dispersed into several streams of energy.

"Did you understand the difference in power…?" She challenged.

Both grumbled and escaped while forming a storm that began to discharge rain and thunder at the same time: Slur shrugged.

"Hmpf. Whatever. Serenade. Tell me. Does pride make one strong?"

"Far from it. It makes them _weaker_." He dully replied.

"Hum. So it would seem." She looked like she expected that answer.

"Too strong…" Forte muttered to his own.

"Let us go back as well, Forte. Talk about wasted time indeed."

"Y-yeah. Man. Angered Slur is so frightening. Those guys are asking for it!"

15:45 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Shield and Chain!"

"Huh! That was close. Kogarashi X!"

"Barrier! Mad Roller!"

"Too fast! Uack!"

"Be careful, Punk. He might be feigning to make us lower the guard. Stay sharp."

"OK, Meijin!"

"Who knows? I only dropped by to train a bit. Mr. Punky Punk! Heh, heh, heh!"

"Hmpf! Like I care."

"Name's Ruthlessss Vine~…"

"Parsel-tongue attempt? How original."

Punk was sparring with an opponent in a yard behind some Internet City buildings.

This opponent, Ruthless Vine, used a patch of pale green as main coloring: the forehead had been extended forward to form a triangle: this triangle had a patch colored in a lush green color coupled with two small rectangular yellow-colored slits on the bottom edges close to the metallic edge circling the prolongation.

They were largely reminiscent of eyes: the "kusa" or "grass" _Kanji_ had been colored in a mud brown color on the very front of the helmet.

The rest of the helmet used that pale green coloring in a small patch above the lush green segment and in the parts near the rear: two small metallic extensions flanked the sides of the head.

These ended at the same level as the lower jaw: a brownish square with two triangle ends allowed for the fusion of the helmet's segment mid-way across the head.

Two metallic short-length lances aiming diagonally upwards extending past the head: a pair of transparent greenish shades covered his eyes the irises of which were emerald green too.

His chest armor was rather flat in contrast to other Shunoros members and the initials "RV" in a mud brown color had been set on the center.

A small additional lush green plaque with a trapeze-shaped indentation on its lower edge had been attached blow the chest armor by the use of two white hexagons which also were reminiscent of eyes.

A brownish edge surrounded the neck's base and travelled irregularly across half of the shoulder armor's upper edges: it turned metallic white and ended as spikes aiming outwards right on the outer edge of the shoulders' armor: their lower half was also colored lush green and the division was set as line forming two "V" shapes on its path.

The arms' and legs' armor was similar to that of the other members.

He seemed to be about Evil Corvus' height and age.

"Earthly Roots!"

"Mad Roller!"

The ground rumbled and some of it lifted up because thick roots sprouted from beneath it but Punk turned into roller mode and dashed across the slight ramp a part of the ground had become: he rammed into Ruthless Vine as he tried to shoot a Super Vulcan and cancelled the attack: Punk then returned to normal mode.

"Shield and Chain!"

He shot his arm with the claw at the end: Ruthless Vine formed a Barrier in the shape of a wall as he put some distance between him and Punk: he drew a Grass Seed and tossed it near Punk's location: the ground became a Grass Stage as Punk formed a Long Blade and jumped towards Ruthless Vine who replied with a Shirahadori to block the attack and nullify it: Ruthless Vine pushed Punk backwards and Punk landed back on his original position: his adversary then formed a fan.

"Jungle Storm!"

"Hmpf!"

The fan began to blow away the grass to make it hit his opponent but it turned out to be a "Kawarimi": 3 _shuriken_ fell down and hit Ruthless Vine head-on: he groaned but then Punk landed in his roller mode and rammed into him next thus pushing him away: Ruthless Vine grumbled and drew a Shuri Shuriken X which he threw at Punk as he kept on rolling across the ground: his speed deflected it but Ruthless Vine jumped over him and dodged before shooting a Vulcan Seed X at him but all seeds bounced off and did no damage whatsoever: Ruthless Vine cursed under his breath and tried a Dummy Spider X: the spider was crushed by Punk so Ruthless Vine jumped away.

"Shit." He cursed.

"Hmmm…" Meijin muttered as if he mistrusted.

Punk jumped over a patch of ground and dropped a chunk of concrete atop it: an explosion happened and Ruthless Vine fumed as he formed the Giga Cannon Program Advance.

"Fire~!"

Punk suddenly dropped into the ground and the attack shot past the spot he'd been at into the wall of a nearby building: Punk rammed into Ruthless Vine and he cursed again as he tried to put some distance but Punk quickly caught up to him with his speed, jumping every a few meters to avoid buried mines.

"I'm using a mine detector. Mines won't work."

"Clever, aren't cha? How 'bout this? Chaff grenade!"

"Oh heck."

Static ensued and Meijin's screen turned into static as well: Punk, however, had no problem timing his jumps to avoid the mines and Ruthless Vine was trying to escape his ruthless pursuit: he formed the Dream Sword and shot it at Punk but he jumped and dodged.

"Damn it. I'm getting close to my physical strength top… I can't stretch this for much longer… Need to settle the score soon…! Huff, huff…!"

"That's what happens when you underestimate me. I've been somewhat unlucky as of late but I've trained hard!" Punk laughed.

"Shit."

"Don't get too confident, Punk." Meijin warned.

"OK!"

"Destroy Upper!"

"Wha? Ugra~h!"

"Whoa!"

Ruthless Vine suddenly formed a metallic fist over his right fist and performed an uppercut with energy to hit Punk from below during his jump: the attack forced him to cancel the roller mode and he landed on the ground.

"Whoa! My Float Shoes and Super Armor are nullified! That can nullify Navi Customizer abilities!" He gasped.

"Thought something like that would eventually show up…" Meijin wasn't too surprised.

"Super Armor! So that's why you hardly flinched from the attacks, huh? Now's my turn to strike back! Heh."

Ruthless Vine formed leaves over his forearms and they then became tree wood: he warped in front of Punk and delivered several blows with these hardened wood fists: Punk slowly recoiled but suddenly formed a Giga Cannon Program Advance: he shot it at close-quarters and Ruthless Vine was blown away several meters, crashing against a building's wall: he groaned and slid down the wall into the ground: part of his armor began to de-form and re-form.

"Heck. That blow's pushed it… Recovery 300! Now… Green Ink, Wood Slash!"

He shot a stream of greenish ink that left a row of Grass Panels on its wake: he stepped atop one and drew a greenish blade as he rushed for Punk who formed a Barrier: he easily pierced through it but Punk delivered a kick to his stomach area to repel him: Ruthless Vine tried to attack him again with the Wood Slash but Punk glowed with a golden glow and the attack got repelled.

"Heck. Iron Body!"

"Shield and Chain!"

Punk thrust the arm forward using four small jets set on the north, south, west and east and the blow did push Ruthless Vine away: he began to pant from the tiredness and grumbled.

"Ruthless. That's enough. No grudges." Kuroban icily warned.

Ruthless Vine warped away from the scene and Punk sighed in relief.

"Phew! I hadn't had a good showdown in some time…"

"Come back."

Punk warped back to Meijin's PC and stretched as he sat on an armchair and looked at some screens displaying processes and other system info.

"All's nominal." He reported.

"Good enough. Ah! Excellent coffee."

"Punk? Are you back? It's me, Blues. Send me the battle data."

"Sure!"

"Have a rest for a while so I can transfer the data and then edit it with Premiere Pro to forward it." Meijin told Punk.

"OK!"

"By my beard! It's the beard-hat!" Oda joked close by.

"And what's the point…?" Meijin sighed.

"So! Mr. Coffee machine. Will you become the Ms. Tea machine? Heh!"

06:35 AM (Indianapolis Time)…

"… So, Tomahawk Man… What did you find?"

"Not much apart from what we knew. Rumors of some ruckus in a Moscow college but… No proof of that."

"Hum. I see."

"By the way… Some of the top brass envoys are roaming around: they seem to be desperate to find something to stain our names…"

"No wonder. But I won't let them remove me from my post so easily. Right, Barrel?"

"Yeah… They're but a bunch of old-school idiots with ties to the armament industry… They want to take out the whole Cyber World troop and replace it with human troop to send them to fight overseas…"

"What should I do, Barrel?"

"Simple. Stay quiet, Dingo."

"O-OK. Yikes."

Tomahawk Man had come to report to Colonel inside of his Ameroupe Army Base office: it merely had a chair and a desk and the desk lacked anything: the walls were mere concrete too: Colonel began to talk with Barrel and he warned Dingo about what to do.

"Trouble, sir!" A soldier in the real world reported.

"What happened?"

"We've just discovered 66 bombs in the base!"

"WHAT? 66 bombs? And how couldn't you discover them beforehand, huh? Explain, soldier!"

"They have a stealth field generator, sir!"

"Devil. Are they counting down?"

"Not yet, sir."

"Describe them."

"Yes, sir! Box-shaped, metallic, a cover with four screws, LCD display for the count-down in the upper left corner… And a mark…"

"What mark?"

"It looks like an angel's wing, sir. On the lower right corner."

"Sir! Same over here!" A Navi soldier reported.

"What! Someone's placed bombs on both worlds? But how could they do that without us noticing? Maybe there's a sleeper within us? We did have one some months ago but we captured them… But maybe there's another one… Devil. What do we do, Barrel?" Colonel hissed.

"I see no other choice but to evacuate the base and call for the Navy SEALs bomb disposal team. They're pros." Barrel decided.

"Alright. Attention all soldiers and staff! This is an emergency! Evacuate immediately! It's not a drill! Leave all packages behind and evacuate ASAP! I repeat! Explanations later! This is an order!"

Colonel and Tomahawk Man rushed outside along with the soldiers that marched in groups commanded by their superiors: Colonel was on the spearhead along with Tomahawk Man and they exited through a large armored gate that had been opened into a wide round clearing surrounded by a forest: they stopped there and distributed.

"Hmmm… If they bothered to bring that many then they must have low destructive power… Maybe they're targeting key points that will cause a certain collapse of the whole base." Colonel deduced.

"Could be. At least we're 8km away from the city so there'll be no additional damage. Closest highway is 2km away too. But this doesn't sound like the top brass' idiots handiwork either."

"No. They'd rather discredit us than blow up a base with so many soldiers inside that they could use in the overseas fronts."

"Sir! We found a letter stuck to your office's door!" A soldier told Barrel.

"Let's see. Vulgar envelope of brown paper… No sender name and no receiver name… It could be a trap letter like in old times…"

"Could be."

"Give me a gas mask."

"Roger, sir."

"Better. Step away from me. Now… I open it and… nothing happens. But there could be some bacterium or microbes… Like anthrax… Luckily I put on gloves… White paper letter… Computer-written… "The tragedy of 25 years ago repeated. Higure."… That's all."

"Higure…? I've heard the name before…" Colonel muttered.

"Hmmm… Ah yeah. A former WWW member, Higure Yamitarou… Now a collaborator of the Net Police Cyber CID… But Higure is a pretty common surname, mind you." Tomahawk Man reminded him.

"Hum. You've got a point. And it's unlikely for a man under Net Police orders to do this."

"Tragedy of 25 years ago? 1988? Did something happen in 1988? But it says "repeated"… Like someone's attempting to recreate it… But for what purpose?" Barrel wondered.

"Sir! Imagery from the security cameras show that the bombs have come online: they've started counting down from the number 444."

"444? They want to break the cliché, huh?" Colonel fumed.

"444 seconds… That's… 7 minutes and 24 seconds." Tomahawk Man quickly conversed.

"Congratulations. You've just proven you can do Math and you're more than a fighting machine." A sarcastic distorted voice rang out from several spots at the same time.

"Who's there?" Colonel demanded.

"The Lords of the Cave."

"What's your goal?"

"Revenge." The voice plainly replied.

"Or is there more to it?"

"Was there? I forgot." The voice drily shrugged.

"You think you're smart."

"I don't think I am intelligent… I AM intelligent. Muscles man."

"What was that?" He got annoyed.

"You haven't changed."

"You speak like we knew each other."

"I'm not surprised you've forgotten me. You killed me. Along with my companions. Years ago. Many, many years ago. I was but a faceless enemy. Like all of them. More small fry to dispose of. I was so much chaff. But now… I've been reborn." The voice dully intoned.

"The "Darkloids"?"

"Think what you want." The voice settled.

"Hmmm…"

"I told you. You don't remember me because I was a mere foot soldier, mere chaff, mere scum. You don't remember all of those you've deleted, _tsujigiri_."

"Tsujigiri?" He frowned.

"A _samurai_ that killed others to test out a new blade… Sometimes defenseless, random, passer-by… It degraded into indiscriminate murder during the anarchy spanning from the 15th century to the 17th century… In short: someone who kills in an indiscriminate manner…" Tomahawk Man checked up a site.

"Hmpf. How smart of you." Colonel was hardly impressed.

"I feel praised."

"Less than 90 seconds left!" A soldier warned.

"We've almost 800 meters away now. We should be safe." Barrel muttered.

"If I'm the target of your revenge then why do you involve my men?"

"Because they also killed my comrades. And I want to make this revenge painful." The voice simply replied.

"You wouldn't be in league with the mysterious "ghost server", right?"

"Colonel… Let's not rush it. We don't have any proof." Barrel warned.

"You're right, Barrel. Just wondering."

"Just in case… All troops! Turn to look south, away from the base. The explosion's brightness could damage our sight." Barrel ordered.

"One day… You will realize the consequences of your actions. Of your killing spree. In the name of "patriotism"… A gallant word to justify killing and plunder… Just like "faith"…"

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…!"

Explosions began to ring out one after the other and the virtual base building rumbled and quickly collapsed into a heap of debris which began to delete: however, there was no such sound on the real world.

"What? The real world ones are dummies?"

"So it'd seem, sir! Their displays read "GAME OVER"… And they've died."

"Maybe it's a trap and they'll turn on again later on. Let's hope the bomb disposal team can retrieve them all and disable them." Barrel grumbled.

"Farewell."

"Ran away. Alright, men! Let's start rebuilding of the base using the backup server's data. Some of you explore the surroundings just in case."

"Too ambiguous… We can't establish who the culprit is like this…"

"You're right, Barrel. And I've got a bad feeling about this…!"


	6. Chapter 6: Turmoil

**Chapter 6: Turmoil**

10:28 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday January the 23rd…

"… There's one of the targets! I knew it was worth it coming from this route… We've got an excellent view!"

"Hmmm… They don't seem to be on the lookout for anything…"

"Don't worry, Lily! A gal over here is gonna bust 'em all!"

"Sheesh. Joanne – chan… Don't get confident."

"This new VR system rocks! I can control an avatar in the Cyber World!"

"I know."

A girl and a Navi were taking positions atop a hill to the right of a non-paved road somewhere that seemed to be the midst of a desert-like environment and looking at a convoy of some military trucks heading south along the road.

"Tozukana Joanne the Vile Sniper's come~!"

Tozukana, the girl, was on her late teens or maybe early 20s.

Her hair was tinted black even though some patches of brown hair could be seen beneath it and her eyes' irises were brown.

She looked smug and amused.

She wore a black leather one-piece suit which covered her body starting slightly beneath the shoulders plus purple leather boots.

She also held a PSG-1 sniper rifle on her hands and was taking aim while lying down on the ground for the trucks.

"Wait another 20 seconds…"

"Good! Let's go to Lilycove afterwards, Lily!"

Lily, the Navi lying beside her, had a _Goth_ look to her given her use of heels, two metallic loose bracelets in her forearms and a collar with spikes protruding from it around her neck.

Her helmet's forehead had the word "Goth" engraved on it using scarlet red letters and her eyes' irises were also scarlet red.

The bodysuit's predominant color was black with some patches of white scattered like stains there and there.

She could be around a meter and seventy tall.

She currently looked somewhat annoyed as she lowered a pair of binoculars she carried.

"Tozukana. Shut up." A guy's voice ordered over a radio.

"Sheesh. Felix Leiter!"

"Qong."

"And you know it." Lily muttered.

"Grrr! You! Don't distract me from beating the game!"

"You're the one distracting us with your loud voice." Another guy fumed.

"Tommy! Go to Tom's Ballpark!"

"There isn't."

Tozukana fumed and took aim to then shoot: she hit the driver Navi on the right shoulder and a small holographic display popped up with the number 80: she grinned but then another bullet hit the driver Navi's forehead: Tozukana gasped and tried to aim for the next truck yet it had turned on armored shutters protecting the cockpit: there was a buzzer and the words "GAME OVER" showed up on the screen followed by a ranking showing that someone else had scored 100 points.

"Your attack gave time to the driver to radio." Qong told her.

"Damn it."

"See?" Lily sighed.

"I doubt it." Tom muttered.

"Sheesh! We'll settle this on the real world! Simulation over!"

10:37 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Nobody told me about this!"

"Not my… problem."

"Don't switch topics!"

"Shut up…"

"You're not my boss! Just because you're a man that doesn't give ya the right to order me 'round! Ain't your woman!"

"Hmpf…"

Tozukana (carrying a purple and black Link PET that had the Alphabet "L" character surrounded by a golden edge as emblem) was discussing with another guy in a small room in the real world that had two armchairs with two helmets that looked like motorbike helmets but only covered the top and sides of the head: they had black shades over the eyes.

"Hey! Qong! You rigged it, no?"

"I didn't…"

Qong, sitting on the chair to her right, had short brown hair which had been cut into a military haircut but was largely hidden by a grayish cap with no logos on it whatsoever: his eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses too.

He wore a sleeveless camouflage-colored vest over a black long-sleeved shirt plus a pair of jeans.

His gray and brown PET had the golden-colored Alphabet "T" character drawn as emblem surrounded by a black edge.

He was now looking at the far wall and apparently not paying much attention to Tozukana.

"Who designed this level?"

"Who else? Zero. I don't know that type of programming. Zero and some others handle the new VR simulator…"

"Hmpf! Tommy go Mommy!"

"Sheesh."

"My bad, Tom."

"Not your fault, Lily. Your Operator's always like this anyway."

Tom, Qong's Navi, was leaning on the left wall along with Lily.

He could easily be around a meter and eighty tall and he had the looks of an assassin to him given his cold scarlet red irises and the total lack of emotion on his face.

Other traits included self-inflicted cuts over his upper chest which looked like a count of victims: a total of 17 cuts had been engraved in there insofar.

His main bodysuit color was gray combined with red armlets around the ankles and wrists: his hands had an extra layer of "skin" colored brown and he also sported a utility belt around the waist set with some grenades and knives on them plus a Makarov pistol.

He was holding a pair of binoculars on his hands and the fund hung from his neck.

"What's the ruckus? You again, Mademoiselle?" Kanou suddenly rushed in at a quick pace.

"Yikes! President Hades!" Tozukana gasped.

"Yes, me. I was going to ask for some feedback and I find this… Why can't you accept that you lost the game? It's just a game. It's not like your life is at stake. Is it?" He scolded.

"W-well…"

"Qong – kun. Sorry for the mess."

"… No need to…" He dully replied.

"You've got your own skills but you lack the focus or the patience. Like always, Mademoiselle."

"Sheesh! The guy believes he's Mr. Perfect!"

"That's because he was part of a paramilitary org in Sri Lanka years ago as you well know. Your aunt taught you using knowledge from her JSDF husband, no? The scale is different." Kanou sighed.

"W-well…" She trailed off.

"Or maybe you want to make us look like idiots who only can yell to each other. And allow those cloaked villains to laugh at us."

"N-no! I don't wanna those clowns to laugh at us!"

"Then quit kidding around and focus in the simulations! Will you do us that small favor? Or is it asking way too much? Huh?"

"G-gotcha!"

"Fine. Let us hope so. If not you'll get expelled for another while to see if your aunt can talk it over with you. I've warned you, Mademoiselle. And as for you, Monsieur… You can keep it up but don't think you're above everyone else. There's a chain of command, as you well know. And I'm your CO." Kanou addressed Qong next.

"Roger." He merely replied.

"Good enough. Good morning."

He walked out of the room and Tozukana sighed in relief: she then mumbled something under her breath before storming off the room too: Freeze Man walked in next.

"Is the system working well enough?" He asked.

"Sure. Today's reaction of the trucks was original. Keep it up, guys."

"Thanks, Lily. What about you, Tom?"

"Same opinion. Maybe you could add a harder mode of On Site Procedure so that we gotta find the weapon first."

"Excellent… Hmmm… Qong doesn't look like he wants to add anything so… I'll go speak with Cosmo Man. See you around!"

12:34 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew! Looks like we'll have this batch ready on time."

"Yeah. Nothing like a good cigarette at break time…"

"Are you listening?"

"I'm listening, man."

"Excuse me, gentlemen."

"Huh? What?"

"I've got an appointment with Chief Kabuo… Where may I find him?"

"Chief Kabuo…? I think he's not here yet, right?"

"No… But he should be about to come. Maybe you can wait on the office section lobby? Over there."

"Thank you. If he asks for "Takatoo" that is me."

"OK."

Two car factory workers had been sitting on a bench outside of the large building when the man that had been at the TV station a few days before named Takatoo showed up there while carrying a vulgar brown leather suitcase: he talked with the workers and headed away to enter a small lobby that had some chairs next to a counter: it was currently empty so the man headed towards the restrooms as an employee came into the counter area from an adjacent room: the phone rang so the employee picked it up.

"Yes, this is Akano District Factory… What can I help you with? Huh? Net Police Cyber CID's Superintendent Oda…? Y-yes, sir? Huh? No, sir. There's nothing…!"

The employee began to talk with Oda when an alarm suddenly went off close by: the employee looked at a nearby PC's LCD screen.

"Huh? What! Viruses reported all over the factory's Cyber World! But the firewall isn't breached!"

"Devil. So the tip-off was true… I'm coming there with one of my men to solve this… Stay put!" Oda cursed as the sound of a car could be heard on the background.

"Y-yes, sir!"

There was a sound nearby and soon Oda and Enzan came into sight, rushing into the lobby: Enzan looked around and spotted an information screen.

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Blues entered the system and found it crawling with Mettools destroying things there and there along with Spark Bees and Garuus: he drew the Neo Variable Sword and began to delete the Viruses.

"No matter how many times I check it up the firewalls says it's not been damaged! Which means that… Someone from the inside stuffed these in the Cyber World? Why didn't Security spot them?" The employee wondered.

"Easy. They were hidden in some sub-directory in sleep mode with a timer and now they've become active. Speaking of Security… Where are they at, anyway?" Oda explained before asking.

"Now that you mention it, sir… Where are they? I'll have to ask the Chief… I've got his cell-phone number…"

"Do so. How is it like, Ijuuin – kun?"

"I'll be done in about a minute." Enzan reported back.

"Hrah! Hah! Sonic Boom!"

"Anything odd, Blues? Are those rascals around there?"

"I feel nothing yet, sir. Huh? This is… The Security Navis! They're trapped inside of a small cave dug in the ground and sealed with a large chunk of terrain… They seem to be deactivated." Blues reported.

"So that's where they were at. Someone's attacked them in a sudden manner and removed them from the way."

"But what would they gain? This is a Honda factory, yes, but one of many… The employees' salaries are inputted from the company's bank accounts to the employees' ones. So money is not the goal."

"Maybe they just want to create a ruckus." Enzan suggested.

"Could be."

"I'm finished, Enzan – sama. I'm scanning the surroundings but I see nothing. I'll check the core program next just in case."

"Do that."

"Roger, sir."

"Odd. The Chief doesn't pick it up…" The receptionist muttered as he pressed the re-dial button.

"Maybe he placed it on silent mode by accident."

"Could be… Hello? Chief, sir? It's me, Takeda. What? I don't hear you well enough, sir… The man with a wooden leg? Excuse me, sir?" He didn't seem to properly understand him.

"Man with a wooden leg?" Oda wondered.

"Jon…athan…Sm…all? Did you say "Jonathan Small", sir? Huh? A treasure…? I'm sorry, sir, but I don't… What? Find it? Find what, sir? Chief? I don't hear you well enough!"

"Give it to me." Oda ordered.

"R-roger, sir."

"Hello! Oda of the Net Police Cyber CID speaking! What's the problem? Huh? Mary? Who is "Mary"? Excuse me? What? Sholto? Who or what is "Sholto"? What? The voice? What voice? Calm down! Breathe deeply! What's happened to you? Too much noise!" Oda began to speak but frowned at everything the man on the other end of the line was telling him.

"Something's wrong. Maybe he's been kidnapped?"

"Devil. And the kidnapper is forcing him to say that? Contact the HQ so that they trace this call!" Oda covered the mike of the phone's receiver while speaking with Enzan.

"Roger, sir! Blues. Did you finish the inspection?"

"Yes, sir. There is nothing out of place. I turned on a security scan of all files and directories just in case too."

"Good. We'll send Number Man to process the data later. Now go request a call tracking. You heard what the Superintendent said."

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

"Hello? What? Arthur's died, you say? Langham Hotel?"

"Langham Hotel… Hmmm… There are many hotels with that name all over the world… Hardly works to narrow down anything…" Enzan muttered as he looked it up with the PET.

"What? Aurora and Toby? Sherman?"

"Very common names, too…"

"… What did you say? Hello? Huh? Put on the speaker? Alright…"

Oda turned on the phone's speaker and some noise rang out.

"… "Mac Haco! You're under arrest for forging Euros!"… "Euros? What's that, man? I only fake bridges by now, man!"… "B-bridges?"… KZZZZ… "It's the Main Square of Fuentelnabo with their Mayor! I know it 'cause my brother in law was there and showed me an identical postcard…"… KZZZZ!" Some pre-recorded voices could be heard between bursts of static.

"Huh? That's one of those M&F comics, no? Is the culprit toying with us? Hey! You! What have you done to the Chief?" Oda demanded.

"Done to me?"

"Huh? What?"

"C-Chief!"

A man came in and looked surprised at seeing the others gathered there: Oda grumbled and looked at the phone.

"You tricked us! The Chief's alright! You've stolen his phone!"

"So that's why I couldn't find it! I thought I'd forgotten in on the café's restroom and I was looking for it at home too…! Someone's stolen it from me… But who?" The newcomer grumbled.

"Need Not To Know. You capitalist dog."

"WHAT?" He got enraged.

"Hmpf! You know nothing."

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

"Hmpf."

The call got suddenly cut: Enzan looked at the PET as Blues returned from his earlier task.

"The call's origin is in this wing's men's restrooms."

Enzan and Oda rushed there and checked the stalls to find two cell-phones set atop a toilet's cover: one had finished playing a recording and the other had just stopped a call being made to a number.

"Heck. It was pre-recorded and timed. So the culprit wasn't here to begin with." Oda cursed.

"Huff. The rascal sure loves doing complicated stuff."

"Yes, Enzan – sama. I did do another check on my way back but found nothing so it's very possible that they didn't bother to come in person to begin with." Blues told Enzan.

"We'll send these to forensics but they obviously won't have fingerprints."

"Obviously, sir. They could've prepared this days in advance because hardly anyone uses these restrooms. The culprit's too clever for my taste."

"I feel the same, Ijuuin – kun. And it can get worse than this, even. Shit."

16:56 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I've found nothing insofar in this sector, Prince. Sir."

"Keep looking, End Angel. If the info I got a hold of is correct… There should be something…"

"I see a cave's entrance."

"Alright. That must be it. Secure the entrance in case they intendent to trap you there."

"Roger."

A "Shunoros" Navi was flying over a mass of water in the Cyber World until he spotted a small solitary island that had a cave built there.

This Navi, End Angel, had a white helmet which was shaped like a swan as seen from above with the beak's upper edge running past the forehead and providing some "shade" to the face: the side edges had black painting over them and formed a trapeze-like drawing.

The sides of the helmet per se consisted on a navy blue piece of armor over a round white circle.

A blue piece of armor shaped like an inclined seat emerged from there travelled down until the base of the neck: bluish transparent shades covered the eyes: his eyes' irises were blue.

His forehead had the _kanji_ for _shuuen_ or "end" written on it using blood red coloring too.

The chest armor had the initials "EA" written in blood red color and set on the protruding upper edge of the armor which was white in color: a small depression at the middle formed the shape of the "V" letter: a blue-colored thin stripe ran across the armor to then form a vertical column aiming downwards: the small space at the SW and SE edges of the armor below the blue stripe was colored white.

Two smooth wings came out from behind the body's shoulder armors: they were built of three pieces split by thin black lines.

The first piece had a one-third-portion colored metallic gray but the rest of it had a navy blue coloring to it as it extended and ended in a diagonal angle aiming SW: the second piece was colored white instead and shared the exact length.

The third piece was shorter and about half the length of the others.

The shoulder armors were made of spheroids with a small triangle aiming downwards and protecting part of the arm from the sides.

The rest of his design was identical to the others when it came to the forearms, boots and knee protections.

His face looked like he was a teen guy and his height was over a meter seventy, maybe closer to a meter and eighty.

"Hmmm… It's about 30 meters long and 14 tall plus 28 meters wide as seen from the outside, sir… The entrance is about 4 tall and 7 wide… I detect something inside." He reported to Kuroban.

"Don't lower the guard."

"Roger, sir."

End Angel landed in front of the entrance and rushed inside to find a gigantic disgusting-looking enemy with some exposed muscle on the jaw and other spots.

"That's the "Ogroman" from _Bio 6_ … So they seem to love the game given how they've been using enemies from it… This thing relies on brute strength and height to win…"

"I see. It shouldn't be much trouble for you, then."

"I hope so. Arcane Sword!"

He flew into the air as the "Ogroman" began to bring down the fists around: he drew a sword with some runes written on its surface and a brownish hilt and tried to plunge it into the head from behind but got repelled by something: he put some distance.

"An invisible Dream Aura." He analyzed.

"Clever!" Kuroban grumbled.

"Super North Wind!"

"Mugroh~h!"

The giant lifted both fists and tried to rush for End Angel but he dodged as he formed the Super North Wind and blew away the Dream Aura: he then stabbed the forehead of the thing but it was unaffected: End Angel flew away as the giant began to hit the walls: End Angel spotted a large boulder set on a ledge over the entrance: he merely used Area Steal and left a Count Bomb behind it before warping outside of the cave: the bomb exploded and the boulder sealed the cave from the inside: the giant kept on hitting the walls from inside but were too thick to be broken: End Angel looked around.

"Fool."

The cave was suddenly deleted while a storm began to rain down around the small island: the giant roared and began to try to hit End Angel but he simply used Float Shoes to hover over the terrain and circle around while attacking different spots of the body.

"I see. It's got no real CPU. But it's got a program core to make this thing move… And it must be, obviously enough, on the chest. Target that and put an end to this crappy thing." Kuroban ordered.

"Roger, sir."

He heard a familiar sound and hovered to the right to dodge a spear that landed where he'd been at a moment before: one of the "Hell" Navis was standing atop the giant's head and carried spears on both hands which began to throw towards End Angel: he easily dodged them but then the Navi seemed to smirk under the mask so End Angel frowned as if he didn't realize the point of that.

"I got you."

"What?"

"Thunder!"

"Grua~h!"

Lighting suddenly hit the spears and they formed a ring of electricity linking them together as they formed a circle around the island's shore: End Angel happened to be between two of them and he got hit by bluish electricity streaks that jumped towards him from all spears: the giant caught him with the right hand and began to try to crush him: End Angel hissed and his body was suddenly surrounded by a blackish glow: a beam of blood red energy jumped off his blade (inside of the giant's hand) and plunged through the chest exiting at the back: the giant howled and its movements stopped as it began to be deleted: the "Hell" Navi cursed something and jumped off it while End Angel collapsed on his fours, panting.

"That blade… It's like the Muramasa Blade… I see." The Navi calmly muttered.

The Navi drew a black rose and looked at it for a moment before storing it on a pocket of the robe: they then drew a rapier and tried to thrust it towards End Angel's throat but End Angel vanished leaving an Ojiouzan statuette behind: the rapier made contact and a thunderbolt fell down to hit the enemy: they growled something in their distorted voice while End Angel appeared behind and tried to plunge his blade from behind but got repelled: the enemy turned around as a purplish glow surrounded the body.

"You shall not stop our revenge~!" They growled.

"Then don't start a fight with us. If your target's Colonel go on ahead. We couldn't care less for that stupid man."

"What?"

"Hey. Even Wolf was able to beat the guy using a surprise attack. The guy's really weak. Why don't you go and settle it with the guy instead of involving us? We get in your way because you dragged us into this when there was no need to in the first place. Was there?"

"Hmpf. I need backup plans. Your data gives me ideas."

"Ah. So you foresee that you guys' revenge could fail and so you're reading some backups."

"There are many unknown variables at work. I cannot create a 100% perfect _scenario_." The Navi grumbled.

"Like you could. There's no such thing."

"Shut up. I'm the ultimate!"

"You said you were but chaff."

"In the past! The present is what matters! I now have a gigantic power that allows me and my comrades to have revenge!" The eyes glowed with a yellow glow.

"Then stop involving us. Go play some game or watch a movie or read a novel to come up with backup plans but don't use us as tools to achieve your precious revenge. Which will be but a momentary pleasure. What'll you do once you achieve it, anyway?"

"That's…" They trailed off.

"Thought as much. You guys can only think of revenge. I know what that means. I spent 3 years desiring revenge. I accomplished it with these hands, killing those I hated. And then the Prince granted me a goal, a purpose in life. To live." End Angel sighed.

"A purpose in life…" The Navi muttered.

They emitted that bright glow and vanished: the skies cleared and calm returned to the solitary island: End Angel grumbled and rubbed the right ribcage.

"Good work. Come back and have some proper rest." Kuroban ordered.

"Roger, sir. I think I talked too much, sir."

"Don't mind it. That should make the guy feel confused, anyway. It should make the guy hesitate and maybe he'll fight his buddies over that."

"I see, sir. They'd deserve it. Yet… Something about that guy reeks…"

21:21 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Alright. We have all gathered. Zero. Did you find something new?"

"I did but I don't think it's got much relevance."

"Say it."

"That the names in that record that played over the phone this morning were taken from the Sherlock Holmes novel _The Sign of Four_ …"

"Hmpf. So they want to play literate. What about you, Legato?"

"End Angel sent me a message involving "Hell One"… It should start hesitating and maybe it'll turn out into buddy-splitting…"

"Good…"

Slur and Legato had reunited in a small stone-made room somewhere in the Cyber World along with Zero: she looked in a slightly better mood but the tension was palpable on the air: both Legato and Zero looked slightly uneasy as well.

"According to the witness of the counter employee… He'd been to the restroom a couple hours before and there was nothing odd. So the culprit had been there during those 2 hours. The employee was on the back-office sorting out documentation…" Zero added.

"Hum. I see."

"I'm starting to think the culprit's gained materialization capability that's not a Copy Roid. So they can warp in and out. Like you do, Boss."

"That is reasonable. So they do not rely on those: and we cannot find the signature then…"

"Yeah. That's what makes it hard to find them. Most traces have led to South Africa but it can easily be a red herring. While it's fitting to do secretive business and all… A place with too much server power would stand out: I searched several ISPs but found nothing. Then again they could have several servers in various buildings under different names and accounts and link them to form a "cloud" to store stuff there."

"Hmmm…"

"Speaking of "clouds", there's Dropbox and similar services. There's so much stuff there, they could easily hide there."

"Yeah. But without any criteria we can't search the whole of Dropbox… And there's always the debate of whether we're intruding the privacy of the users or not… I know the Ameroupe government is poking a lot there and there but we want to make a difference from them. Right?"

"Of course. We shall not be like them. That is what makes Golden Star different. We are, after all… What was the word? Ah yes. NGO. Non-Governmental Organization… We obey no government, we follow our own rules." Slur reaffirmed.

"And one of the most important ones is that we'll try, as long as it's possible, to avoid interfering in the privacy and activities of Internet users across the globe. Our "System" already filters by determined keywords or patterns and type of text…" Legato nodded in agreement.

"Let us return to the topic at hand."

"Roger."

"I think that while Kuroban is right in supposing they could fight each other their own stubbornness might shield them from that or they make a truce until they fulfill their goals. So let us not be too expectant on that front either." Slur warned.

"True. Hmmm… Maybe some of our members will be targeted next? Maybe they'll try to start a scandal… Speaking of scandals, we did retrieve the original physical report that Shadow Nova had stolen. Right?"

"Oh yes. It was on their leader's hideout. I disposed of it that very same day. And I did check that there were no copies in the computers. There were not."

"Alright. But let's be careful nevertheless. They might try to approach the bastards who wrote the report and try to get them to talk to leak it and start some controversy or scandal. We should be on the lookout."

"Good point, man. Sheesh. We should warn that the words of some petty thieves that faked their pasts to enter the Net Police and hide there aren't believable." Zero suggested.

"It'd be good if that were enough, but… If not we can always try to discredit it as being just another conspiracy theory. There are so many out there, people eventually tire of them. Save for some crazy guys but then again no – one pays much heed to them. I think."

"Humans are so complicated in that aspect. Conspiracies? Why waste time and energy thinking of those? Why not focus on the matters at hand?"

"Mere paranoia…" Kanou opened a communications screen.

"Is that so? Hum. Oh well. We can discuss that on another time. You two will be on the lookout for that, then. I will coordinate with Kuroban and XY to expand our searches."

"I still feel there's something I'm overlooking. I've got the feeling I'll eventually remember what it's supposed to be but… Huff. I'm sure the answer's pretty close by… Not the answer to everything, of course. But an answer to a part of the mystery." Kanou admitted with a sigh.

"Don't you want me to do some searches?"

"I'd asked you, Mr. Zero, but I lack enough names or references. It's all a very vague feeling… Must've been something before I founded Golden Star because I can't find it on my archives."

"Ah. I see."

"Maybe it is related to Nebula?" Slur suggested.

"I did think that but it wasn't the case. No. I think it's related to some work of fiction but I can't remember the format to begin with. Or the name. I've got the vague feeling there was a repeating title about "this mystery" but that doesn't lead anywhere, obviously enough."

"Hmmm… So maybe something about those rascals is related to some work of fiction… They could be loosely copying or imitating something from there…" _Noir_ muttered.

"I'll guess I'll have to go to the storage room I've been renting the last few years to store things and open up some old boxes to see if what I'm thinking of is there." Kanou muttered, resigned.

"If you need help Legato can do assist you." _Noir_ offered.

"Thanks for the offer, but it only involves me. I just don't want to forcibly involve you when I'm not sure if I'll find it there or the whole of my hunch turned out to be an excess of imagination."

"I understand, sir."

"By the way… Zero. Are those nosy fools out there still?"

"Nosy fools…? You mean my assistants? Oh come on. Serenade's the one who reprogrammed them to be cheerier, Boss. Why don't you complain to Serenade instead? I only followed his suggestion. You said that you founded Golden Star based on Serenade's ideas and principles, no? So I thought that I should follow his suggestions." Zero argued back.

"Hum. When you put it that way…" She begrudgingly seemed to admit that he had a point.

"Now, now. Mademoiselle… Can we focus on what must be done in the days to come?" Kanou suggested.

"Fine. You chase that "hunch" of yours, I will coordinate with Kuroban and XY. You 2 keep up with the searches too. Do not take your eyes off security and… Speaking of which… Pharaoh Man!"

"Y-yes, Slur – sama?" Pharaoh Man gasped over the radio.

"I supposed you ARE paying attention to anything that flies over and past our position. ARE you?" She questioned with some annoyance.

"Y-yes, I am! I have registered 38 signatures over the last 2 hours and 43 minutes…" He reported back.

"Fine. I better not catch you playing… What was the name of that game, Legato?"

" _World of Warcraft_." Legato replied.

"You heard him."

"As you command!"

"Fine. Do not disappoint me. Prove your maturity!"

"R-roger!"

"Video Man, Burner Man and Needle Man!"

"M-ma'am!" They all gasped over the radio.

"While your radio plays are largely accepted by the crew… Remember to concentrate on your main duties and jobs and do not commit blunders because you want to end it sooner!" She reminded them.

"U-understood!"

"Napalm Man: keep your "humor" controlled. While it is true that Leon wanted you to be active you are too hyperactive. If I find evidence that you are going over the line I shall redo your personality from SCRATCH!"

"R-roger, _Danna – sama_!" Napalm Man gasped.

"As for the others… Yamato Man: do not get obsessed over the _Sengoku_! Shade Man: do not try to look up to Count Dracula! Freeze Man: remember your place! Cosmo Man: when training, control the power of your "Cosmo Gate"! Dark Man: do not forget your training!"

"R-roger!" They all confirmed.

"Fine. Now I feel better. They needed a reminder of who is in charge. As for me… I will go talk with XY right now. Maybe he has a lead: his agents could have gotten new data…"

Slur warped out of the room using her special warp: the others sighed in relief and both Navis stretched.

"We're gonna be busy. Don't push it, Zero."

"I know, Legato. I'll be having a rest and the system can handle the rest."

"Good. We're going to expose those rascals' true colors… I promise you!"


	7. Chapter 7: Explorers

**Chapter 7: Explorers**

06:18 AM (Thailand Time), Thursday January the 25th…

"… Lord XY. I, Refraction, have come to report."

"Good. Report."

"I apologize. I have been unable to seize any new data. Only some small data that might have some relation but the probabilities are below 15%..."

"Hum. I see. But as long as there are probabilities it is worth it. Good job: you might transfer it to the server and go to your quarters."

"Your will."

Two Navis were speaking inside of a large dome-shaped building made of stone with several buildings and structures scattered around it: there was a central round square with a large tree set on its center and both Navis were in front of it with one of them kneeling in front of the other.

One of them, named Refraction, had long abundant white hair, were on their late 20s or early 30s, lacked facial hair and had golden eye irises: their gaze was calm and collected.

He was simply wrapped in a long white coat with a lowered heavy hood.

"Did you explore the sector I told you to explore?"

"Indeed. It is as you said it would be."

"I see."

XY, on the other hand, looked very similar to Slur yet their face was that of a man on his 30s: he had no trace of facial hair and his eyes had golden irises to them.

He had that same pattern Slur had on her forehead painted there and some black bands spiraling around the neck: he didn't have the stars on the shoulders, though.

"Remember. Your former CO has been deposed of his authority because he illegally sent you here. So you are under my authority, Refraction."

"Acknowledged. It is an honor to serve you, Lord XY." Refraction calmly looked up.

"Good. As long as you obey my orders then you can remain here. If not I shall send you back to your department."

"I understand."

He lowered his head and then materialized a cube made of bluish transparent walls having some clusters of data inside of it: XY picked it with the right hand as it hovered still on the air and nodded: Refraction stood up and headed towards the right while XY headed north and climbed up a set of stone stairs until a dome having several arches supporting it and a square box with golden wooden walls and a curtain on the center of it: four stone armchairs had been set facing the box and there was someone sitting in one of them.

"Lord Helios… The results have come."

"And?"

"It is as I suspected, Master."

"I see."

"What do we do?"

"Hmmm… We shall tell them yet… We can do like they do with our existence: keep it vague and with no details."

"Your will."

Sitting on one of the armchairs was a man on his late 50s or early 60s dressed with a strange tunic covering the whole of the body and head which had an "arcane" or "alien" look to it.

His eyes' irises were of a brownish/reddish color.

The tunic was colored in several shades of blues and whites.

"By the way, XY. Are you keeping an eye on that fool?"

"Dullahan, you mean? Of course. He and the others have not moved."

"Hum. But do not get confident. Check the hibernation capsules' systems just in case. And tell "our" Pharaoh Man to keep up the surveillance of the perimeter. The hub is still hidden, I take it?"

"Of course. Unless we wish for it, then the entrance on the ruins of that pyramid shall remain sealed and impossible to detect forever. No matter how many times someone might try to snoop around… They shall not be able to locate it. It is a material beyond their comprehension and capabilities, after all." XY replied.

"Fine. I shall go back to the laboratory and continue the simulation on the energized particles that disrupt the normal working of time-space… Come there when you finish." Helios ordered as he stood up.

"Roger."

Helios stepped into the box by slightly opening the curtains and vanished inside of it while XY opened the cube and the clusters of data assembled to form some glyphs on the air: XY calmly analyzed them by pressing each one which in turn formed a small screen with text spanning a few lines and written in the same type of fluorescent azure glyphs: his expression did not change much as he read each box's contents.

"I see. Like I thought." He muttered.

He then made the data return inside of the cube and had it warped elsewhere before looking towards the opposite end of the dome which had another grand stair ending in two grand stone doors that were shut but seemed to lead outside.

"Hmmm… My warriors! Come to my side." He called out.

Four figures quickly warped into the area and kneeled in front of XY: they were the Four Ultimate Warriors that had taken the form of Rock Man to challenge him years ago inside of the Reverse Internet Pyramid: each one still had their form at the time with their respective "Styles".

"Lord XY." They all saluted.

"Report your findings."

Each one produced a data cube tinted in their respective color: XY made them open and glanced at the several sub-screens that formed with the text: he rubbed his chin with the right hand as if he was thinking about what was written there.

"Hum. I see. It makes sense… Good work, my warriors. Return to your duties… And patrol the area with the hibernation capsules: keep an eye for Dullahan's one… Scan the system down to the last piece of data." He muttered before ordering.

"Roger."

They all warped away while XY sighed and warped the data away: he headed into the cubicle that had a stone armchair inside plus a round open hatch on the ground behind it having a spiral stairway: he climbed it down into a lower level, walked past an empty dome-shaped chamber and crossed two open stone doors into a wide and large room having several large and tall machines assembled in rows like it was a library: the doors silently closed behind him and formed a bluish ghostly energy field over their surface.

"That was fast." Helios showed up from the right.

"I only wanted to read the summary. I shall examine the contents with more depth later on."

"Good. By the way. There has been activity in point 14."

"Is that so?"

As a response, a spherical device formed out of nowhere and hummed: a circular holographic display formed around them: it turned on and displayed 360º view of an unlit and abandoned location somewhere that had many devices aligned in the middle of the room: they consisted on a chair having a bulky cubical machine attached behind it: the chair included a helmet-like device hanging from above it and armrests coupled with footrests: most of it looked worn down and broken given the holes present in the cubical machine.

"There." Helios signaled something.

"I see."

The 3 "Hell" Navis could be seen studying one of the devices: one of them was holding some documents on the hands and apparently reading to the other two as they studied the device from the outside and the inside.

"As much as they struggle… They shall not figure out the meaning of this machine." XY calmly muttered.

"Indeed. But if that keeps them distracted then it is beneficial to us. I do not think they will be coming often yet…"

"It is a possibility indeed."

"That was 5 hours ago. They spent approximately 2 hours studying it before giving up. Their leader decided that they would not do as materials for a backup plan." Helios summed up.

"No wonder. And those notes are surely the report by "Spiral", one of the Shadow Nova executives, who came there as well. Maybe they thought they could understand what that man could not. But they failed as well: because all traces are gone." XY deduced.

"Indeed."

The display ceased and both shrugged: Helios headed for the right and XY followed him to see a display of flows of atomic particles: one had a complicated spiral-like structure while the other was parallel-shaped: the spiral-like one mingled with the parallel one and the flows of the latter were interrupted in most of the part but not totally because new streams formed exploiting deficiencies on the first.

"Preliminary results suggest that they can block about 80.775% of the normal flow particles thus slowing down time-space by the same percentage… But there many other factors that are not taken into account on this simulation yet. But it is something." Helios told XY.

"I understand. I will progressively add the factors and compare the resulting figures. This could be a powerful tool to combat that thing."

"Indeed. One day… We shall undo that berserk creation…!"

08:58 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Tee, heh, heh. So. Wan – ted. What's the pink tale today?"

"There's no such thing, Ikada – san…! And that pun's getting old!"

"Don't tell me. Za – ra – she – chan."

"Oh come on. Ikada – san…!"

"Bertha – chan… I still fail to see the point."

"Don't worry, Sandra. It's just that Wan – ted here is a cutie masochist, you see. And I'm a beautiful wannabe."

"Oh come on. When did cha become a narcissist?"

"Dunno."

"Sheesh."

Zarashe was sitting on a chair inside of a room in _Purgatory_ while having only a couple of black boxers and black wool socks on: he had his hands cuffed behind the seat and a black wool blindfold over his eyes as a girl loomed over him, joking, while her Navi was unimpressed.

"Ikada here will go to Inaka! And tell the Inaka cousin I've got a handsome butler, see."

"To the county? Sheesh."

Ikada was on her early 20s.

She had long platinum blond hair plus eyes with blue irises to them: she had a ruthless-like figure to her, even.

She sported a golden-colored jacket over a teal sweater plus navy blue jeans and a pair of black boots.

She carried a cobalt-colored Link PET with a golden-colored Alphabet "S" character on it as emblem.

She was currently rubbing Zarashe's jaw with the right hand to tease him while she kept the left one on the jeans' pocket.

"I'm not your butler, Ikada – san!" Zarashe blushed.

"My. You'd like to?"

"T-that's…" He trailed off.

"Sheesh."

"So, Sandra… Did you make progress with Beta – chan?"

"Oi. Beta and I are mere pals. There's no deal."

Sandra, the Navi, had a ruby set on her helmet's forehead.

She had green eye irises and reddish hair and also seemed to be on her early 20s.

Her bodysuit's main color was cobalt coupled with a golden band around the waist, golden shoulder plates and golden bracelets on both the wrists and the ankles.

Spiral-shaped magenta patterns travelled down her arms' and legs' surfaces while eight lines of the same color spread from the blackish edge of her chest emblem.

She looked annoyed and exasperated.

"Maybe because Dr. Jacinta didn't…" Ikada began.

"I know the rest." Sandra cut her.

"Tee, heh, heh. Did you find somewhere to have fun?"

"Sheesh. Stop bringing up _50 shades of grey_ … I read it and it was hardly anything new. I dunno what makes so much people say it was great. Guess 90% of them are men and the rest are that type of women. Masochist women…" Sandra fumed.

"You never know. Maybe they should listen to Salander – chan."

"Lisbeth Salander, the hacker? The gal's the bossy type and I like that plus her skills… But mixing those 2 works isn't a good idea."

"Then let's mix M&F with some _manzai_ show."

"How original. I'm off. I'm gonna have a Smash Bros match with Beta, Napalm Man and Lily. See ya."

Sandra stepped out and Ikada giggled while Zarashe sighed: she suddenly began to rub his right nipple with the right finger and Zarashe blushed as Ikada grinned.

"So. Wan – ted. Whom do you think the culprit is?"

"The culprit? Those cloaked guys? Dunno. Could be anyone."

"Including the Phantom of the Opera?"

"How original." He drily muttered.

"You lack energy, Wan – ted!"

"Will you please stop calling me like that, Ikada – san? It's shameful!"

"It's my love-name."

"It's a parody of nick-name and you KNOW it."

"Maybe you prefer a bliss-name?"

"Bliss-name, oh come on. Patent it, Ikada – san!"

"Sure. After you tell me what you've been up to as of late." She began to rub his nipple again.

"You know it too! I got orders by President Hades to investigate some spots where incidents have happened! But I found nothing linking them together: which means the culprit picked them at random!" He argued back, sighing.

"Random Woman was busy."

"Oh come on."

"Maybe it was dating Super Man." She laughed at her poorly improvised joke.

"Dating Super Man? Thought Super Man was in love with Wonder Woman to begin with… Or maybe I'm wrong?"

"Ah. True. Maybe it was a fleeing mood and she's gone pick someone else by now." She shrugged.

She suddenly slipped her right hand inside of Zarashe's boxers and grabbed his cock to begin teasing the head with the thumb finger: Zarashe groaned and blushed while Ikada leant closer to his face.

"Your tint of red is superb. Maybe one day I'll write _50 shades of red_ as a version with the roles opposed." She grinned.

"B-but…!"

"Of course! I'd use fictional characters and a penname to hide our identities, cutie. Wan – ted."

"W-well…!" He nervously muttered.

"Oh my? Something tells me you'd actually like that. To see people commenting about it and inwardly thinking "that's me"… And feeling like you'd become famous!" Ikada teased.

"N-no way!"

"Who knows? Maybe we need to Special Summon Black Magician Girl to make it possible?"

"Oh come on. Leave the disciple magician in peace. Don't involve others into this if you may, Ikada – san!" He sighed.

"She's pretty cute, isn't she? Wonder if there was some tale with ATM – sama?"

"Oh come on. That's a Nico Nico Douga nickname for Atem, the real name of Dark Yuugi… Because it sounds like "ATM"… I know they were depicted as childhood friends but there was never much development in that aspect…" Zarashe sighed.

"My, my. You're becoming stronger, eh? I'm playing with your little rod here and you talk like it was nothing. You really are a masochist boy, Wan – ted!" She teased next.

"T-that's…!" He blushed again.

"Heh, heh, heh. Bingo! Beware of Prophet Jeremy's comeback from a shark's insides!"

"Not Prophet Jeremy again… The guy and his dramatic "prophecies"… They were true but he could've described them in a less apocalyptic tone…" Zarashe groaned.

"Maybe we need something else…"

She suddenly drew a 5cm pink dildo from the jacket's left pocket and turned it on: she crouched behind Zarashe and lowered his boxers to stuff it up his ass before pulling the boxers up again: Zarashe moaned and his cock got hard, pushing against the boxers' fabric: Ikada giggled and rubbed his chin.

"Well? Is this intense enough for you?"

"Y-yeah…! Oh…! Too good…! This vibration…! My body's going numb! It's incredible…!" He moaned.

"Heh, heh, heh. There you're displaying your true nature, Wan – ted! It was you who began this, remember? Tee, heh, heh."

"W-well, that's… O~h! Too good!"

"And I'd say we need to boom the booming boom!"

"Not Alfred next…! O~h! Too intense~! I can't hold it back!"

He suddenly released inside of his boxers and left a wet stain on the area over his cock's head: he panted as Ikada removed the dildo and headed for the adjacent bathroom to cleanse it up on the sink while humming a tune: Zarashe seemed to have fallen asleep, even, given his breathing's rhythmic.

"Tee, heh, heh. Wan – ted is so cute, really. I'm lucky."

She stored the dildo in a cardboard box below the sink with other stuff piled on it and returned to the room: she picked a chair and sat in front of Zarashe while giggling under her breath.

 _I'm going to have fun admiring your sleeping pose, Wan – ted! Tee, heh!_

13:45 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Man. There's still 1 months before MGR is released. I'm not sure what can I do to kill the time in the meanwhile… Huff. Maybe I could go play one of my Fire Emblem games and come up with my own "shibari" or "restricted" play… Like not using powerful equipment and try to advance with initial equipment…"

"Hum! You're Fighting Cyclone of "Shunoros", am I right? Runt?"

"Huh? Who…? Hey! You're one of those punks!"

"Fight me if you've got the courage to!"

"Fine! You rascals ruin the mood to begin with. I was itching for some action too!"

A member of "Shunoros" had been walking down one of Internet City's streets while sighing and muttering to his own until one of the "Hell" Navis showed up in front of him.

Fighting Cyclone used green as his main color.

His helmet was also partial since the rear was unshielded and his purple-tinted hair emerged from behind.

It was split into two parts: the uppermost part had a dome protruding off the helmet's center and protected by further armor which, as seen from the front, amounted to a trapeze with two extensions reminiscent of antennae aiming backwards.

Two narrow yellowish pyramids formed from the rear section of the dome and aimed backwards: the center of the trapeze had the " _kaze_ " or "wind" _Kanji_ colored purple set there.

The second part of the helmet could be described as an inverted trapeze covering the center of the forehead and with two slightly curved lines aiming backwards and which ended with another pair of inverted trapezes coupled with a bit of black armor: the ear-pads were also purple in color but had no drawing there yet they had a black edge as seen from the outside while the edge running down the cheeks was white.

A pair of greenish transparent shades protected his eyes the irises of which were brown.

The chest armor began with a round blue metallic collar around the base of the neck and, from there, an inverted triangle-shaped piece of greenish armor extended with the purple initials "FC" scrawled on its centermost spot.

The shoulders had an initial upper-half-of-a-cylinder armor coupled with further armor with curved greenish armor built in segments: two white paws were set on the foremost and rearmost sections.

His forearms, like most Navis, had armor starting at the elbow and protecting them: it was built using a green circle plus a green cylinder reaching until the wrist.

Three fins were arranged in a row over the whole of the armor paired with a pair of white metallic blades reminiscent of a dragon's ones starting at the wrist and extending past the hands' length: the exposed arm was covered in black "skin" too.

Similar to Raging Flame, the body below the torso and until the knees was only shielded by black "skin" and a row of dull gray metallic squares ran down the length of both sides.

The legs' armor began at the knees with a blade aiming upwards and a navy blue round edge with a diagonal depression: the rest of the boots were rather plain green models with two bands splitting the boots in three segments colored deep green.

Lastly, a metallic green piece with orange edge reminiscent of a dragon's tail emerged from the rear of the torso's armor.

His overall height was over a meter and seventy tall.

"Mwah, hah, hah. Fine, runt… Catch me!"

"Rascal!"

The enemy warped away and Fighting Cyclone did the same: a chase over the rooftops began as the enemy drew the railgun.

"Eat railgun!"

"Lightning Rod!"

Fighting Cyclone formed the Lightning Rod to absorb the attack yet the device suddenly frizzled, overloaded and blew up in several fragments, some of which stabbed his body: he growled and hissed under his breath as the enemy jumped from a roof opposite the street to his and aimed the gun at close-quarters.

"Weak!" He taunted.

"Think again, Mr. Smith! Edogiri Blade X!"

Fighting Cyclone drew a _katana_ with a purple hilt and quickly sliced the railgun's muzzle: "Hell 2" gasped and tossed it before jumping 3 buildings away: Fighting Cyclone did the same and heard the gun exploding behind him: "Hell 2" suddenly formed yet another railgun and loaded it up so Fighting Cyclone grumbled under his breath as he tossed a Giza Wheel X: the disc began to spin as it flew and formed a saw-like effect with its own spikes: it jammed the muzzle of the gun when it was firing and it got blown up so most of the energy began to disperse around the opening without control: "Hell 2" fumed, tossed it at the street, and formed a third railgun: Fighting Cyclone, though, had gotten close enough by now and he began a series of punches and kicks at "Hell 2": he grabbed the railgun and used his right leg's strength to break it in two as if he was breaking a tree's branch: "Hell 2" fumed and formed his fourth gun insofar before jumping away.

"I'm called _Fighting_ for something! 'Cause I'm good at CQC!" Fighting Cyclone fumed.

"Damned meddling runts!"

"You're the meddling rascals! You want to beat up that Colonel guy so badly, do it already! And don't involve us! If you'd only done that then we wouldn't have gotten in the way! But you had to drag us into this! That proves how stupid you all are!"

"STUPID? WE? DAMNED RUNTS!"

"Speak for yourself! Damned gramps!"

"I'm not an elder!" "Hell 2" grumbled.

"Oh yeah? Thought you were 90 years old."

"Navis don't age!"

"Hmpf. Whatever. Bring it on, you rascal! Heat Upper!"

He warped and reappeared right next to "Hell 2" to deliver an uppercut attack while his right fist was surrounded by purplish flames: the blow hit the jaw and was blocked by the "Dark Aura" yet the kinetic energy did affect the enemy because he erratically recoiled.

"Poison Knuckle! Drill Arm X!"

Fighting Cyclone delivered an attack with the right fist that connected with the right cheek and formed some slight cracks on the "Dark Aura": some poison infected "Hell 2" and he was then attacked by the Drill Arm trying to pierce through the chest's "Dark Aura" but ultimately being unable to: the kinetic energy did push him backwards nevertheless and Fighting Cyclone delivered another array of punches and kicks: "Hell 2" grumbled and formed a Tank Cannon yet Fighting Cyclone dived for the ground to dodge and shot a Hyper Cannon at the right leg: the recoil from the Tank Cannon and the blast from the Hyper Cannon pushed "Hell 2" further back and over the southern edge of this rooftop: he suddenly fell face-up into the ground 7 stories below and formed a crater upon fall: he quickly stood up and growled as the eyes sparkled with a menacing yellowish glow: Fighting Cyclone dropped down, unimpressed, and having a Mad Vulcan X ready to fire.

"You will regret angering me~!"

"Impress me. Old-timer."

"I'm not an old-timer! You're a damned runt!" He growled.

He suddenly formed a spear the end of which was frizzling with electricity: clouds formed and rain began to fall down: a thunderbolt fell down and got absorbed by the spear.

"An imitation of the spears used by Grievous' bodyguards?"

"Shut up, runt! Die!"

He shot a powerful beam of electricity but when it hit Fighting Cyclone he was replaced by a wax statue of Jackie Chan: Fighting Cyclone reappeared behind him holding a Hammer Weapon X which he used to hit the head: the "Dark Aura" became visible and began to crack: "Hell Two" gasped but the next second a wide beam of purple energy fell down from the skies and split both away: "Hell Two" got forcibly retrieved through a black hole and the storm ceased.

"Hmmm… So that "Dark Aura" accumulates total damage and does not compute each attack alone. So by shooting several attacks it should eventually shatter but… I'm sure that they'll fix that before they show up again… What is your take, Prince?"

"You did well. I agree with your theory. And that also means that this guy and the silent guy are monitored in real time by the leader-like guy: he's just imitating how XY retrieved his "Jet-Black Phoenix" Navis using that "phoenix" phenomenon…"

"Speaking of which, they've been pretty quiet insofar. No?"

"Meh. XY gave up on them after that round of battles last year. He's got more important things to do than those. XY was just testing us all: you needn't worry about the man. I guarantee it."

"If you say so, sir… What should I do, sir?"

"Do as you like. Report anything odd or curious you stumble upon. Those guys must be stalling for something, too… Else they'd already blown up that Colonel idiot and his men… Instead of allowing them to evacuate the base and bring it down when it was empty…"

"You're right, sir. Maybe they don't have enough with just killing and they're sadists who want to make them suffer for fun?"

"Wouldn't surprise me if they were. Don't lower the guard!"

"Roger, sir. Sheesh. One after the other… Don't mess with "Shunoros"!"

18:39 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Good evening."

"Welcome!"

"A _tempura udon_ , please."

"Right away, sir! Please have a seat!"

"Alright."

"Good evening."

"Oh! Another customer! What'll it be?"

"Curry _udon_."

"Right away, sir!"

"Enzan – sama: should I investigate?"

"Do so."

A customer stepped into a small udon restaurant somewhere and sat on one of the seats around the square counter: the customer was the mysterious man known as Takatoo: Enzan came in next and sat on another seat: he drew the PET and nodded to Blues before he began to look: there were another 15 or 20 customers sitting in the tables and animatedly chatting while the TV showed a soccer match somewhere.

 _I got a tip-off saying "a tragedy as red as a true rose will happen here" but I don't see anything out of place. But if it's those rascals then there must be hidden Viruses in sleep mode ready to be activated anytime soon._

"… Hips! I'm fed up with the world! You're all hypocrites! I'll kill ya all! Die~!"

"Wha?"

A customer came out of the restrooms while looking totally drunk and holding a survival knife on the right hand: he suddenly rushed for another customer giving him the back and roared: the customer gasped in terror.

"A~h!"

Enzan quickly grabbed his sticks for the _udon_ and threw them at the man with the knife: they hit his right hand's top and stabbed there through their speed before jumping off: the man yelped and the customer run off as Enzan rushed for the guy: the attacker growled and clutched the knife.

"So ya wanna die! DIE~!"

Enzan ducked and quickly grabbed the man's right forearm to then yank it backwards: the man yelped but did not let go of the knife nevertheless: he suddenly drew a Single Action Army from his vest's left pocket and aimed it at Enzan: he gasped and quickly let go to jump sideways: the man fired a shot and missed: Enzan risked a glance around and spotted that all other customers had fled the store already along with the cook: he frowned when he saw a rose left behind on the counter where Takatoo had been at but focused again on the madman.

"I wanna kill!" The madman roared.

"Blues!"

"Yes, sir!"

Blues materialized and rushed for the man from behind: he closed his arms around the waist and inclined his body backwards to lift the man off the ground: Enzan quickly seized his left wrist and forcefully moved it upwards: the man shot the remaining 5 shots into the ceiling in a row: Enzan stepped back as Blues let go of the man yet he suddenly jumped to land before him, he grabbed the right arm and used a _judo_ hold to throw him at the ground: the blow made the man let go of both weapons and Enzan picked them yet the man recovered and drew a remote from the right jeans' pocket while opening the vest's zipper: he had several C4 packages strapped to his waist and the remote had a big red button that obviously was the detonator.

"Brat! Make a single move and I'll drag ya to Hell with the great I~!" He roared.

"Shit." Enzan cursed.

Blues, however, used his speed to steal the remote and opened the battery compartment to take the battery out: he tossed it inside of a _udon_ bowl that was filled up to damage it: the man roared and jumped for Enzan: he tackled him to the ground and began to try to strangle him: Blues delivered a _karate_ attack with the right hand to the rear of the man's skull to knock him out but the man blocked by lifting his legs into the air: Blues grumbled and pulled the man's shirt neck to try to drag him away: the man wouldn't yield so Blues resorted to jumping over him, picking an _udon_ bowl and throwing the contents at the face: the man yelped from the pain and let go of Enzan who began to cough as he recovered his breath: Blues delivered a violent kick to the balls and the man howled before collapsing: to top it off Blues also used the empty bowl to hit the man's head and stun him for good: Enzan crawled again while coughing and trying to recover his breath.

"Enzan – sama! Are you alright, sir?"

"Gruh… Grah… Kuh…! T-too close…!" He gasped in fear.

"I know, sir. I am sorry, sir."

"Y-you did what you could… Gruh… Keep a watch over that man: use the Yo-Yo Battle Chip to tie him up!"

"Roger, sir. Battle Chip, Yo – Yo!"

Blues used the Yo – Yo's thick cord to tie the man up while Enzan recovered: a SWAT team rushed in along with Superintendent Oda at that moment.

"Thank goodness! Ijuuin – kun! You're alright!"

"Y-yes, sir…! Kuh… Guh…! That bastard almost killed me for real! And here I thought it was a mere drunkard…!"

"Isn't. It surely was an act. We got notice that a very dangerous mercenary had been witnessed going into this store very often! We came in the nick of time!"

"Mercenary! A pro killer? Devil. No wonder it was so dire and so tough!"

"I think that the tip-off was a trap to lure you here: the man was surely hired to assassinate you."

"Fuck. Those cloaked bastards got serious!"

"I know. There were no Viruses, right, Blues?"

"No, sir. There weren't any." Blues confirmed.

"What's with that rose?" Oda spotted it.

"I don't know! I guess someone left it during the chaos when the customers were running off… Anyone could've approached the counter while I was distracted fighting this guy, sir!" Enzan explained.

"I'll deliver it to forensics but it'll hardly tell us anything."

"I had to use brute force to stop the man, sir. Is it justified, sir?"

"Of course, Blues! That was a killer! You had to defend Ijuuin – kun: his life was at stake! Anyone will agree with that. And if not… I'll show them my "anger modes"…" Oda calmly told Blues with a sigh.

"Roger, sir."

"We'll interrogate this bastard but chances are that he's never met the employer and got the money delivered through some proxy accounts to begin with…" The captain of the SWAT Team told Oda.

"Surely. That's your competency so I leave it up to you."

"Understood. Let's go, men!"

"Roger, sir!"

Four members carried the man away and out of the locale while Enzan sat on one of the stools with Oda's help: he coughed again and felt shivers go down his body.

"You need to go home and rest. That was too dire. I'll handle the rest: you send me your memory files about what's happened, Blues."

"Understood, sir."

"Wait a min. I'll ask one of my men to escort you home."

"Thank you… Guh, kuh…!"

Oda exited for a moment while Enzan coughed for a few seconds: Blues stood by his right in his firm pose yet his face displayed a slight grimace: he fixed it and resumed looking neutral and composed.

"Alright. You can go, Ijuuin – kun."

"R-roger, sir."

Blues dematerialized and returned to the PET as Enzan, with Oda's help, walked out and into a patrol car parked on the street, one of 4: several policemen were keeping the curious at bay and a "KEEP OUT" band had been placed near the store's entrance: muttering filled the air along with the sound of cameras, flashes, and some TV reporters speaking to the cameras: Enzan climbed into the passenger seat and put on the safety belt: the policeman drove off while Oda sighed and looked at how they headed away: a policeman walked over to him.

"Superintendent, sir. We have managed to ID most of the customers but there are several who are not here, sir."

"They obviously ran away as far as they could. We'll go over the recordings to try to ID them and if not we'll make a public call for all customers to come declare as witnesses." Oda shrugged.

"Roger, sir. What do we tell the ones that are here, sir?"

"They'll be contacted in the days to come with further instructions."

"Roger, sir. I shall tell them immediately, sir."

The policeman saluted and headed towards some of the crowd: Oda sighed and nodded in negation while looking at the evening skies.

 _Ijuuin – kun also fought hard to protect the others and this world and this is how it ends up. Damned ungrateful bastards. Too many of them. As if the tragedy of some years ago wasn't enough._

He closed his fists and hissed under his breath while forming a grimace…


	8. Chapter 8: Anger

**Chapter 8: Anger**

09:44 AM (Japan Time), Saturday January the 27th…

"… Sheesh! This guy is SO annoying! What have I done, anyway? I've only done the usual and not gotten involved in other stuff! So why did this guy come assault me? It's a pervert or what?"

"That I'd like to know, too, Roll! Battle Chip, Super Vulcan!"

"Eat this! You pervert!"

"And next is this! Program Advance, Mugen Vulcan!"

"Eat this too! Mugen Vulcan!"

Roll was fighting the silent "Hell Third" in a rather empty street of Internet City close to an H&M store: she was fed up as she attacked the silent enemy who was tossing Mini Bombs at her yet they all failed because she kept on moving: Meiru backed her up as well while Roll fumed aloud, fed up with the enemy's behavior: her attacks hit the enemy but they didn't cease throwing Mini – Bombs.

"Hey! You! Why do you attack me?"

"You could get in the way." "Hell One" replied through the radio.

"Why would I?"

"Because you might try to defend Colonel."

"Defend that man who wanted to imprison Rock Man alleging his "Soul Unison" ability was a danger? Who'd want to? And he then got beaten by that "Nebula Grey" monster! Rock Man saved him by defeating the thing!"

"Is that so? I thought you were companions ever since then."

"WRONG!" Both she and Meiru yelled back.

"Sheesh. Who the hell wrote that file, then?" "Hell One" muttered aloud as if he'd forgotten the line was open.

"Dunno! Some MORONS! Find them and beat them up!"

"Of course I'll do that. But before that… I want to ask of you, Sakurai Meiru, one thing."

"What now."

"You've never wanted to have revenge?"

"Revenge? On whom?"

"Don't play dumb. On Testsukai Jennifer and her accomplices."

Meiru gasped and her eyes burnt with hatred while her face contracted into a grimace: Roll also hissed but with less energy than Meiru.

"Your face says it all. You hate them. So why didn't you have revenge on them? You must've had plenty of chances to do so."

"How? They're on the brig."

"What? I thought they lived in Yokohama?"

"Someone's been feeding you with BULLSHIT!" Meiru hissed.

"Damn it all. Here I was prideful of being good at info gathering and analysis and turns out these archives are full of crap. Wait! Maybe that's misinformation planted in purpose? That would explain it!" "Hell One" gasped.

"What archives, huh?" Roll questioned.

"The Net Police Cyber CID's ones, of course."

"What?" Both gasped.

"I see. So they noticed… Here I was thinking they hadn't but they were playing along and swapping the files to humiliate me… Guess I've gotten too confident as of late… Hell Two! This is your fault, too!" "Hell One" snapped to someone off-screen.

"B-but…"

"No buts! You brainless idiot!"

"Y-yes, sir…!"

"Giga Cannon!"

"Useless. I rebuilt our "Dark Auras" and eliminated their defect. Now we're invincible."

Roll shot the Giga Cannon at "Hell Three" but the attack didn't do any damage: but, suddenly, some spikes of energy sprouted from it and the "Dark Aura" became visible: some spots began to delete all of a sudden so Roll quickly drew an Elec Sword and a Flame Sword and plunged them in two spots at different heights of the main body: "Hell Three" didn't react and Roll quickly used an Area Steal to put some distance: a boulder fell where she'd been at and cracked upon hitting the ground at a high speed: Roll saw another coming from above so she warped and appeared atop it: she used her boot soils' jets to fly away some meters and then fall towards the rock: her kinetic energy changed the rock's course towards "Hell Three" who formed a Dream Sword and shot it towards the rock but Roll protected it with a Dream Aura: "Hell Three" panicked and began to throw Mini – Bombs at it: the boulder eventually impacted on the enemy's position and overloaded most of the "Dark Aura": Roll rushed over there and plunged both blades into the chest yet she frowned.

"I've hit something metallic and got repelled… Iron Body?" She wondered aloud.

"… Damn it all. Now it turns out the whole "Dark Aura" needs to update itself and thus vanishes and forms again: and it's vulnerable during that opening!" "Hell One" gasped.

"That's why I said that…"

"You shut up."

"You spoke in such a bossy tone and turns out you're having a brawl. How about you beat each other and you do us a favor? Huh?" Meiru fumed.

"Yeah. We've got our own stuff to take care of."

"You angered me! I'll destroy you yet! Go, Hell Three!" "Hell One" hissed.

"Sheesh. Roll Arrow!"

The Roll Arrow flew through one of the holes in the robe but bounced off the Iron Body below: "Hell Three" formed a Giga Count Bomb and threw it at Roll but she merely spun around and kicked it back with the right foot: "Hell Three" panicked and warped some meters away as the bomb hit the ground and exploded there: "Hell Three" summoned some Spark Bees and Mettools and ordered them to charge for Roll.

"Huff. How stubborn. Heart Slash!"

She flung her antennae and two streams of energy flew off them to beat the Viruses: she warped and appeared in front of "Hell Three" yet a "Swordy" Virus got on her way followed by another 2 of them: "Hell Three" then formed an Earthquake Battle Chip that fell for Roll: she simply flipped away as the 3 "Swordy" Viruses got crushed.

"What the hell are you doing? Use the CPU! Moron!"

"Hell Three" seemed to gasp, afraid of the other's annoyance, and formed some Garuus that ran for Roll along with Ratton Viruses: Roll sighed and tossed a Magma Seed at the ground to delete the Ratton Viruses followed by an Aqua Seed to delete the Garuus.

"How childish! I've trained hard too! I'm no heroine who needs a guy to rescue her!" Roll fumed.

"What the hell happened to your brains, you idiots?"

"T-that is…" "Hell Two" tried to argue back.

"I don't want any more lame excuses! "Hell Three"! Prove your damned BRAINS! Use the HEAD!"

"Speak for yourself. You're only using the anger." Meiru taunted.

"Woman! Out of my way!"

"Hmpf! Men! Out of our way!"

"Grrr… Can't believe you're struggling so much against a _civilian_ Net Navi! A mere and vulgar Net Navi! Aren't you more powerful than them?"

"I think that's your imagination. There's no evidence of that." Roll taunted.

"Go play the piano~!" "Hell One" grumbled.

"When I feel like it. Anger Man. "The Fury" from _MGS_ will come fight you one day, anyway."

"Hmpf! Maybe I can let loose Tetsukai and make her come for you! And make you experience Hell again!"

"You…! Threatening me, huh? I'll beat you too!" Meiru hissed.

"Hah! I'm different from my idiotic subordinates!"

"B-but…"

"I told you to shut up, didn't I?"

"Y-yes, sir…"

"Battle Chip, Circle Gun!"

Roll drew the gun and focused the target on the Navi's chest: the blasts got through the robe and hit the Navi's body because they were distracted listening to the complaints of their boss: the Navi escaped and Roll fumed along with Meiru, who hissed.

"Those men! Threatening me like that! Roll! Go to the Net Police HQ and speak with Blues or Superintendent Oda!"

"OK, Meiru – chan!"

"Like I'll let them…! Like I'll let them…!"

"Meiru – chan: the Math lesson!"

"Ah! Good idea. I'll go over it again. Keep the line open."

"OK."

Roll headed for the Net Police HQ while carefully inspecting the surroundings as if expecting the enemy to be lurking close by.

 _Trying to scare Meiru – chan by bringing up ghosts of the past, huh? What a herd of cowards. I hope Andy – kun beats them up and they get jailed as well… They're mad to begin with. HMPF!_

12:39 PM (Japan Time)…

"… This abandoned factory looks like a good place to hide… But for the time being it seems to be empty… Hmmm…"

"So you're Gray Thunderbolt!"

"Huh? Ah! You're the boss of the gang! Hey! If you want revenge on Colonel then go ahead and do it! I don't care what happens to that guy!"

"Now I'm not satisfied with mere revenge! I'll prove my might to the world! They'll regret looking down on us!"

"Sheesh."

"I'll have you crushed to death!"

"Bring it on, punk."

A "Shunoros" guy had been inspecting a large and mostly darkened factory building when the voice of "Hell One" rang out, challenging him: he was hardly impressed.

Gray Thunderbolt had a largely customized design which deviated from the norm the others followed.

His face's skin color was of a dull olive green – like coloring and a faint black and thin line drawing of an electrical current's spectrum shaped like a triangle formed on the SW and SE corners of his face and climbed past the note until they ended slightly beneath the forehead's helmet edge.

His eyes' irises were blood red in color.

His hair was orange-colored and spread out from behind the helmet in a wild flock manner reaching until the base of his neck.

The helmet's design was peculiar: it had a form seemingly made out of a spheroid's upper half and its main color was gray.

The center of it had a drawing which could be interpreted as an arrow pointing downwards which also had two small triangles popping out of the sides.

If seen from above and looking from north to south it could be a cutaway silhouette of a tree as well: a golden-colored plain horn formed on the middle of the drawing and aimed upwards.

The ear-pads had two parts: they began as simple gray metallic disks attached half-way between the upper helmet and the sides of the rest of the helmet.

A dome-shaped formation sprouted from there and had a small hole cut atop it.

The sides of the helmet included two slightly curved triangles colored orange spanning past the lower jaw by a few centimeters.

His neck was protected by circular gray bands stacked one atop the other with a total of three plus a wider circle at the base of the neck.

Regarding the chest armor, it could be described as simplistic: the color of choice was gray again and the only noticeable things on it were two cavities cut on the center of it shaped after diamonds: they were red on the inside and there was a very thin black line cutting through them spanning half-way across the chest.

His arms were covered by a peculiar golden armor which seemed to reinforce their strength: each shoulder had a soup bowl shape along with the cover set over it: a golden horn spread from the center of the cover.

The armor continued with a division drawn half-way the arm located between the shoulder and the elbow: the elbow segment had a circular piece from which a curved fin aiming towards the shoulder emerged: this elbow armor could be divided in four different segments: the first one was a little piece of golden armor in the form of a circle's lower half.

The armor was continued by a set of three half-circular metallic bands that were spreading downwards until the start of the wrist.

A screw bolt's head was set half-way between the lower and upper halves of the elbow armor: a black cross was drawn on it (or rather the grooves where a screw driver would be set at) and a straight black line travelled forward from the eastern edge until the wrist.

The last part of the complicated elbow armor included the aforementioned fin.

A small segment of golden armor covered the little space between the elbow and the wrist.

The wrist and part of the hand were encompassed by one featureless metallic black circle from which his usual five fingers (covered in golden "skin") came out.

The body below the chest armor was rather plain: a central vertical stripe which contained the helmet's pattern towards the end as it reached the waist spot: it was painted gray expect on the outer edges where the color switched to purple and ran down the sides of the body including the inner surface of the legs: the outer surface was colored gray too.

His peculiar boots began just at the knee's height and had a customized design which looked like some attempt at being "futuristic" for some reason or another: their color was gray.

The reason why his boots looked peculiar was because they had a descending triangle-shaped ramp running until the ankles and with three golden buttons set in a vertical manner one atop the other near the end of the piece.

The ankles' armor was built in the manner of three purple trapezes set one over the other: the soil of the boots was also designed to have a trapeze form and painted gray.

There was something which looked a recent addition, though, and that was an emblem on the forehead: gray-colored spheroid of energy with thunderbolts emerging from it and aiming for all eight cardinal directions: its rim was painted in a black color as well.

"Gruo~h!"

"Huh? Ah! The stalker guy from _Bio 6_ … The thing that uses some bats to figure out the preys' locations… The strongest enemy of the Jake & Sherry chapter… The "Ustanak"! Gotta put some distance and fry the bat things as well… Sheesh."

The "Ustanak" was a large man whose right arm had been replaced by a crude mechanical device: it had a strong build yet the skin was mostly pale and with some large wounds: some small bat-like creatures began to fly around as the thing seemed to try to find Gray Thunderbolt.

"Stealth Laser X!"

Some small plane-like machines formed in the air, turned invisible and shot two parallel streams of electrical rounds to the bats, deleting them: Gray Thunderbolt began to load energy on his golden armor which concentrated on the fingertips: he combined both arms and the fingers to start accumulating the energy in the shape of a grayish sphere: the enemy suddenly jumped across and over the air and landed behind him: the arm became a shotgun armed with a javelin atop the muzzle: they tried to plunge it through Gray Thunderbolt's body but got repelled by something and broken: Gray Thunderbolt was hardly impressed and he simply spun around.

"Gray Thunder!"

He shot a powerful electrical attack at close-quarters: the monster growled as the whole body was electrified and the gigantic crude claw only made it worse: it suddenly turned it into a drill and tried to attack Gray Thunderbolt again but he easily stopped it with the right hand and emitted further electricity.

"That's enough. If you don't want your precious accomplice to die then you will die." "Hell One" suddenly said.

"What?" He gasped.

"Yamada Bruce…"

"Hey! Let go of the guy!"

"Why should I? I'll kill both of you for getting in my way!" "Hell One" icily replied.

"Yamada is unrelated! And you're bluffing, anyway."

"Try me."

"Damn it." Gray Thunderbolt hissed.

"… I just called the school and he's there." Kuroban suddenly let out over the radio.

"Ah! I knew it!"

"Shit. Kuroban had to get in our way again."

"Is that all you can do? Bluff? Go kill Colonel already and then drink vodka all day long." Gray Thunderbolt grumbled.

"Damn you all! Ustanank! Kill them already! Kill! MURDER!"

"Mugro~h!"

"Oh shit. This thing isn't dead yet. Elec Slash!"

Gray Thunderbolt drew two blades frizzling with electricity and quickly used them to behead the monster: it collapsed into the ground and got deleted: "Hell One" suddenly appeared there and flung a glass ball with a liquid inside at him: it landed over his right arm's armor and some of it began to melt and emit steam.

"Geh! Sulfuric acid! De-install armor!"

The armor over the arm deleted itself along with the sulfuric acid and a new one formed on its place: "Hell One" had rushed towards Gray Thunderbolt carrying a blood-smeared axe: he roared and swung it towards his neck but Gray Thunderbolt quickly used his arms' armor to block it: "Hell One" hissed.

"Damn it all! I'm the strongest! I'll kill all of those who'll get in my way to be the ruler of the world!"

"Dream on, you clown! I'll bust you yet!"

"Hell One" howled something undecipherable before escaping with the usual bright glow: Gray Thunderbolt cursed.

"This guy's lost it! We gotta stop this guy soon or people will die for real!"

"I know, Gray. Damn it. What can we do to stop them?"

17:39 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Yeah… Like that… You're good at this, Ijuuin…"

"Heh. You sure came at the best timing, Atarasei."

"Of course, man. I wanted to cheer ya up, man."

"So?"

"Heh! Yeah. As ya know… I still have some stuff with either the Boss or with Kage… Heh, heh. But I like it doing it with you because that prideful face of yours turns me on, man."

"Oh yeah? My prideful face, eh?"

"Sure, man!"

Enzan was having sex with Ataresei on his apartment's bedroom bed and they were talking in the meanwhile.

Atarasei had put on a whole black leather outfit consisting on a thick collar, a short torso-length vest with holes to expose the nipples, lines running down the rest of his upper body while forming a diamond shape, a circular band tightening the base of his cock, long gloves and boots.

He currently had his hands behind his back immobilized with a few slabs of chains having a padlock tying them together.

Enzan was beneath him and stuffing his cock into Atarasei's ass (above him) while teasing his nipples with the hands: he looked amused and Atarasei was grinning as well.

"So? Did Slur fix the mood?"

"More or less. But tension is all over the place. That which happened to you is known to everyone… The only one who doesn't seem to care is Qong, as usual… You never know what the guy's thinking. Maybe he even wants to know the details." Atarasei sighed.

"Huff. At least the guy knows how to hold back."

"Not like he's ever killed anyone, either."

"Despite being part of that paramilitary thing in Sri Lanka?"

"Looks like most of the gang had gone out, fell into an ambush, and the few survivors ran off before their camp could be assaulted by the government. Qong was one of them and ended up roaming around until an NGO took him under custody. That's when President Hades knew of his existence and thought he would do well. Because he had a clean record."

"I see. I did think it'd be strange for you guys to have a real military guy onboard but I now see the point."

"Sure. Huff. Anyway… Turned out that the Euro forger was some old gramps from the county annoyed that his 1000 Pesetas he'd saved up by working on the county were only worth about 6 Euros. So he decided he was gonna ruin the economy by printing blatantly fake notes from a village in the middle of the county." Atarasei grinned.

"Yeah, I know. And in the end they have to change the TIA's budget into Euros and they stop by a bank they find along the way rented by a suspicious duo… They get the Euros but when they get back to HQ they learn that that bank was fake and giving out equally fake Euros not worth anything… They rush back there only to find that the duo are gone along with the TIA's budget. So they leave the TIA without budget." Enzan apparently knew the rest of the tale.

"Put some energy, man."

"Sure."

Enzan began to thrust up and Atarasei moaned as Enzan increased the pace: he began to rub the nipples faster and also used the right hand to grip the balls further: Enzan suddenly stopped and Atarasei let out a moan of disappointment.

"This was a teaser."

"Heh. Not bad." Atarasei chuckled.

"By the way… Never trust Bacterio's inventions."

"I know, man. But Mortadelo was to blame for the time machine thing."

"Ah yeah. Instead of sending them to the year 2100 it sent them to the year 1900. And had them revisit the history of the 20th century… With the four of them getting involved…" Enzan chuckled.

"Or, sometimes… They chase a villain across the world! I love that in the album _Lots of Corruption_ where Mortadelo guesses that the ex-Director of the Virile Guards has gone to Rome… His reasoning is that, since the guy's stolen lotta money and they say he's a dog… Here comes the good part… "ALL CANINES GO TO ROME!"… Which is Spanish pun involving "camino", "road" and "canino", "canine"… So point is that Mortadelo mistook the words and his reasoning is based in that mistake. No wonder Filemón gets mad at him… Only to turn out he was really heading to Rome!"

"OK… I'm in the mood again… Let's continue!"

"Heh, heh! That's the spirit, Ijuuin!"

Enzan resumed thrusting and moving his hips as he played with Atarasei's nipples and his balls: he grinned and released so Enzan did the same soon after: Enzan lifted him and picked a black dildo from beneath the pillow to stuff it on Atarasei's ass followed by some white anal beads: he placed Atarasei face-up on the bed and Enzan got on his fours to loom over him as if he was in charge: Atarasei hummed a tune and Enzan got further amused.

"Guess it feels good, eh, Atarasei?"

"Sure, Ijuuin… They found out the guy was disguised as a nun because he stood in the check-in counter for 15 minutes without asking for some charity for the poor. Mortadelo had a bright idea then, for once."

"Sure. But he then mixed up "reactors" with "rectors" and thought that "tracks" mean the culprit's tracks not the planes' tracks."

"Heh, heh. The guy's a disaster with both sight and hearing from time to time… Beware of Ibañez's Spanish puns… They'll make ya shudder like in the Shudder Editorial… Publisher of "History of Monsters"!"

"History of Monsters, eh? Guess the horror games guys read it up to design the monsters."

"Or maybe Game Freak does to invent new PKMN. Like in this upcoming 6th gen…" Atarasei joked next.

"Heh."

Enzan then moved a bit further forward and used his right foot to rub Atarasei's cock: Atarasei chuckled as Enzan rubbed his own cock and hardened it again while aiming for Atarasei's mouth.

"I'm gonna fill you with my milk!"

"The milkman's come to say hi and bye."

"Not bad."

"Your foot's good as well. Heh, heh."

"By the way… That misinformation fed to those guys… Did you guys start it up?" Enzan asked.

"No. I think Meijin started it."

"Ah. I'll talk it with him, then. But that'll lead to in-fighting between them then the better for us… Anyway. Tell me some other gag."

"Yeah. Hum… "Frock-coat! Frock-coat!"… "What's with my frock-coat, man?"… "No, I'm saying that you don't cross below this guy who's hovering! He may stop all of a sudden and…!"… Another Spanish pun! Frock-coat is "levita"… And "hover" is "levita" too! So the first man meant "He's hovering, he's hovering!"…" Atarasei laughed.

"Heh, heh. I see. Here you go!"

Enzan released and some of his spurts landed inside of Atarasei's mouth while Atarasei also released: Enzan lied down and hugged Atarasei while rubbing his nipples against him and his cock as well.

"Heh. You feel good, as usual."

"Thanks, Ijuuin. It was worth it to work out in the gym." Atarasei shrugged and chuckled.

"The gym, eh? Zarashe also works out there?"

"Sure! Even President Hades does it on the late night when there's no – one. But he doesn't look like he's overweight either. Maybe he wants to keep a regular weight… He does spend too much time on the office, after all… Ah! And from time to time you can see Qong there but since he's always with the sunglasses you can't tell his mood. The guy's a good boxer, though."

"The women don't take part?"

"Oh, they do! It's a unisex gym, after all. Ikada – san likes the elliptical bike, Tozukana – san prefers the weight lifting and Suzuki – san, whenever she has a chance to come onboard, prefers the running machine. Agoras doesn't seem to be fond of sports."

"OK. Oho. I'm going for the next one!"

"Heh! Let's see who goes off earlier, Ijuuin!"

"Showdown!" Both exclaimed.

Enzan began to move faster while Atarasei seemed to focus as if trying to release before Enzan: Enzan, however, did release a few seconds earlier and Atarasei sighed.

"Too bad. I was unlucky this time around. But next time I won't lose so easily, Ijuuin!"

"Challenge accepted, Atarasei. When's next?"

"Hmmm… Maybe by Wednesday… Got some scheduled missions before then which I gotta do and most of them are afternoon – evening stuff so… Let's settle on Wednesday and I'll call you if I find another day."

"OK. Understood."

"As always… Keep this stuff here."

"Sure thing. You lock it up and take the case key with you. Heh."

"Heh, heh. You look up to something, Ijuuin…"

As a response, Enzan pulled the blankets over them…

20:24 PM (Japan Time)…

"… There's a horde of sleeping Viruses here indeed. So this time there are real Viruses… I did well on coming myself… Maybe I can capture one or two to analyze… I don't expect to find much data but…"

Zero had come to a Cyber World somewhere and he found a camouflage net hiding several Mettools, Garuus, Spark Bees and other types of Viruses in a corner: they were all inactive as of yet.

"Boss? Do you copy? I'm on the Toukaidou Shinkansen line… The train that will leave Shin-Osaka station in 4 minutes, at 20:30 PM… There are some inactive Viruses here. I'm going to remove most of them and try to capture a sample if possible. Maybe it'd do well to delay the train's departure… Warn the Net Police Cyber CID." He reported.

"I understand. Maybe they will know what to do."

"3 minutes before departure. Final check of all systems." A driver Navi told some Security Navis.

"What for? We checked the whole place not even 5 minutes ago. There's nothing."

 _There is. You didn't look well enough._ Zero inwardly grumbled.

"You never know. Do your job, guys."

"Yeah, yeah. Gotcha. But I insist that there's nothing."

"Say that _after_ you do the inspection. Or do you want to be fired?"

"Sheesh."

"You want action? Join the Net Police Cyber CID."

"Sheesh."

 _Is it me or that guy's trying to stall for time?_

"Less than 2 minutes left. Do it NOW."

"Fine, fine. By the way. You're slower than a rabbit."

"What was that? Hey, you guys. Bring this guy off the train."

"Sure. 17-D, you're being nosy. You can't provoke the driver before starting the train. Come with me and the other 2 can do the final scan of the system."

"Fine~…"

The nosy Navi and another warped out while the remaining 2 quickly scanned: Zero turned invisible using the Invisible Battle Chip while the other finished scanning.

"There's nothing."

"Fine. Only 25 seconds before departure."

 _Damn. We won't make it on time. I'll have to come up with something to stop the departure… Make some noise._

He drew his blade and silently swung it to form 3 green energy slices that impacted a nearby device: it frizzled.

"Wait, Operator. Anomaly in subsystem G-15. It must be checked least it become a threat to the train as a whole."

"Alright. I'll play the usual record."

"Ladies and gentlemen. We shall soon depart. Please wait a few minutes. Thank you very much." A record was played over the PA system.

 _Good. Now I put some distance._

"… WHAT! Security! Come here! How couldn't you detect all of THESE?"

"V-Viruses!"

"B-but…! They didn't show on the radar…! Ah! Anti-radar material cloth…! Someone was intending to cause an accident during the trip!"

The Viruses suddenly came active and began to attack so the Security Navis began to fight back.

 _Damn. They were right. The timer reached 0 at 20:30!_

"Ladies and gentlemen: we have an onboard malfunction. We are fixing it. We are very sorry for the inconvenience." The driver announced over the PA system.

"Eat this! Damn! There are too much!"

"Sonic Boom! Net Police Cyber CID! Step away!"

"R-roger!"

Blues rushed into the scene along with some Net Police Cyber CID Net Navis armed with Mega Cannons, Super Vulcans, Long Swords and other powerful Battle Chips: Zero secretly contributed to slicing some of them while the driver Navi checked the firewalls to make sure they wouldn't slip out of the locomotive's Cyber World.

"Huh? There's some commotion on the carriages… What! Gas alarm! Some gas has been released inside of the train: panic has begun and people are rushing off the train!" The real-world driver gasped.

"What!" Blues gasped.

 _Don't tell me that…!_ Zero gasped as well.

"This is Conductor 7! Seems to be tear gas like the one the police uses to dispel protests!" A man reported.

"Is everyone off the train?"

"This is Conductor 4! Negative! There's a lady in Carriage 3 that's collapsed on the ground… And there's a Taser dropped right next to her… I think she's been attacked by someone!" Another man reported.

 _I see! It's like in the ballpark! Make us think that something will happen to others but the target was a single person…! Maybe it's another PSB agent that happened to be on board today… But… How did they bring a Taser onboard? I thought there were metal detectors to ride on the trains? Or are there not? I'm not sure now._ Zero thought.

"Evacuate that passenger and wait for the medical team!"

"Roger!"

"Sheesh. They're annoying. Like cockroaches." Blues grumbled in the meanwhile.

"There seem to have been hidden in several spots and they turn on with a few seconds' difference!" A Police Navi spotted.

"Talk about annoying. Just in case… Disable all signal emitters and receivers onboard the locomotive and physically disengage it from the rest of the train too!" Blues called out.

"Alright!" The driver acknowledged.

"Don't turn them on until we say so. Sonic Boom!"

"Eat this!"

"That makes 5 packs of 50! How many more are there? Shit."

"There could be another 10 for all we know. Don't lower the guard, focus!" Blues scolded.

"Y-yes, sir! Super Vulcan!"

"Blues. I'm here." Zero revealed himself.

"Zero. So you got tipped off by those rascals, huh?"

"Yeah. I started the anomaly to stop the departure and buy time for you to get here. But turns out they were aiming for something else. The attacked passenger might be a PSB agent too."

"I see. Hrah!"

"Eat these. Hrah! Hyah! Hah!"

"Did you find anything new?"

"President Hades finally managed to figure out where those funky dresses come from: a _manga_ series!" Zero replied.

"What series?"

"It's named _Young Kindaichi's Case Files_ … They're worn by a character known as "Hell's Puppeteer"! So their names are based off that!"

"Gotcha. But that doesn't lead us to their true colors."

"Sadly enough, no. It's a pretty popular _manga_ in some circles and has a long publication history too. It's got several _anime_ seasons, games, a movie or two and a live-action series too… All of them with lots and lots of fans. President Hades found his old collection of some of the volumes in a storeroom he owns. That was the reason he was so nervous as of late: because he'd seen that outfit before…" Zero detailed.

"Anything else?"

"Not much. The ID of that guy in the manga is a man on his 20s who's a magician and is obsessed with creating a perfect crime, comparing crimes to art. He manipulates others to create murder _scenarios_ … He's been arrested several times but he always manages to mysteriously escape… A very dangerous man indeed."

"And they must look up to him in some aspect hence the flashy escapes and all… Like in a magic show… Hrah!"

"Blues – sama, sir… We've confirmed the deletion of all Viruses. Nothing on IR and X-Ray." The Police Navis reported.

"Phew. We're finally over. You can turn on the radio with the control center so we can exit the place." Blues sighed in relief.

"This is Oda. Good job out there, Blues and company. And you too, Zero. The medical team confirm the woman's only KO from the stun gun attack but that's all. And the gas was indeed mere tear gas. The rest of the investigation is up to us so you can leave." Oda told them.

"Fine. I'll go report to Boss. But I'm afraid we're not advancing at all."

"Yeah. This'll take time and patience too… Nothing's easy in life."

"I know. Oh well. Maybe some M&F will help vent off the bad mood. See you around, Blues."

"Yeah. See you around. Keep us informed if you figure out something."

"Devil. Someone will die for real if it keeps up…! Damned clowns…!"


	9. Chapter 9: Grabbed facts

**Chapter 9: Grabbed facts**

10:29 AM (Japan Time), Sunday January the 28th…

"… So this is the Game Center in question. Right, Victor?"

"Yeah, Joel – kun. Let's go in and check it out."

"Sure."

"Huh? Excuse me, but… Have we met before?"

"Hmmm? Why. You were… Hikawa – kun, was it? One of Kage – kun's classmates…"

"Yes. Agoras – san… Was it?"

"Yes. Joel Agoras. I study chemistry."

A guy had come to a Game Center's entrance and had begun to talk with his Navi when Hikawa Tooru recognized him: he introduced himself.

Joel Agoras appealed to be close to 20 years of age and having a height of about meter and eighty centimeters.

His hair's color was a bright brown one and it was rather messy and forming flocks there and there while a pair of reading glasses hid his eyes.

His choice of clothing happened to be a white shirt with a collar having four buttons on it plus a teal brown coat over it which was open in the middle: he finished the set with a pair of grayish wool pants and simplistic brown shoes.

"And I'm Victor."

"Ice Man, desu."

Victor, his Navi, was projecting through the PET's holographic display.

His helmet's surface was covered in a grid of brown tiles separated by black lines and columns.

A yellowish jewel had been set on the center of the forehead: the ear-pads had his initial, the Alphabet "V" letter colored golden, drawn there.

Blue transparent shades were installed over his eyes the irises of which were brown: his face had a smooth look to it and could even be considered attractive as seen from the sides.

His main body had that same pattern printed over it and his chest emblem's edge was colored red, green and blue in different percentages while the golden "V" was set against a white background.

His shoulders had eight-pointed stars drawn over them colored red, green and blue at random while his arms also had the grid pattern printed over their skin: the forearms were colored navy blue with dusty brown bands circling around their length.

The legs kept on using the grid pattern over it and the boots happened to have the Alphabet initials "RGB" with each letter printed on their corresponding color, set over them.

Overall he looked like a combination of the three basic colors and a brown grid.

"Heh, heh! I smell a treasure!" Ooyama Dekao showed up close by.

"Guts, guts. Treasure, de guts."

"Brought forth by Doom Girl." Yaito, also close by, laughed.

"Yaito – sama…" Glyde sighed.

"Oh. Hello. Why are you all here?" Meiru was also there.

"Yikes!" Dekao gasped.

"What have you done now, Guts Man?" Roll sighed as if she expected Guts Man to have done something bad.

"N-nothing, de guts! Right, Glyde!"

"Eh… Yes, indeed. We have just arrived."

"Then you got the same mail from the PE teacher? It said "let's meet there and I'll show you my skills"…" Roll asked Glyde.

"Indeed."

"Odd. Mine said "the white rose is waiting to prove its beauty to Holmes & Watson"…" Agoras quoted.

"Who's this guy? Your cousin, Tooru?" Dekao asked.

"No. He's a friend of Kage – kun."

"Kage… Ah! You mean Miquel, yeah…" Dekao seemingly recalled.

"Is that so?" Meiru wondered.

"Wait. Didn't you show up near our school some years ago and caught that Hinoken guy?" Yaito recalled.

"Indeed."

"Ah! True! I now remember!" Hikawa gasped.

"Eh? But then… Mine said "there's a treasure hidden here: find it and become famous!"…" Dekao argued.

"Suspicious. Maybe it's the enemy's ploy."

"Oh heck. Not those 3 again." Meiru fumed.

"I'm afraid so."

"Fine. I'll show them I'm not impressed."

"That's the spirit!" Yaito encouraged.

"Uh-oh." Glyde foresaw trouble.

"And…!" Dekao began.

"You stay quiet." Meiru hissed.

Dekao gulped while Agoras seemed to be slightly surprised: he shrugged and came inside of the main room that had 4 Net Battle machines: there were several customers there and all but one machine were being used: that machine had a banner that read "MAINTENANCE ONGOING" hence why no-one was using it: Agoras examined the crowd but failed to notice anyone who stood out: he then looked at the other machines and the Net Battles taking part there.

"Go! Cannon!"

"Long Sword!"

"Beat 'em!"

"Horra~h!"

"Faster, faster!"

"Counter, counter!"

"The mail says that machine under maintenance is where something is supposed to happen. If we go by the logic of the previous incidents… There already are hidden Viruses waiting to be awakened." Victor whispered to Agoras.

"Elemental, my dear Watson… Now let's see."

Agoras headed for the machine under maintenance and discreetly aimed the Link PET there: Victor silently transferred from the PET to the machine while Meiru, Yaito and Hikawa waited: Dekao got engrossed watching one of the Net Battles and wasn't paying attention.

"Affirmative. I found 10 packs of 50." Victor whispered.

"It's 10:35… Maybe they turn on in the next 5 to 10 minutes." Agoras guessed.

"There's a running process and a display saying that the maintenance will finish by 10:40 and it'll be available to use by then."

"I see. Ladies and gentlemen… You heard it." He turned to address the other three.

They silently nodded in approval and also silently sent the Navis into the machine: they opened the screens but kept the output volume at the lowest to mingle with the noise of the other machines and the mutters of the crowd.

"Blizzard!"

"Heart Slash!"

"Paladin Sword!"

"Mega Cannon!"

"10:38… We won't make it on time at this rate." Agoras muttered as he checked the clock.

"Then… Program Advance, Dream Sword!"

"Program Advance, Giga Count Bomb!"

"Program Advance, Giga Cannon!"

"Program Advance, Greatest Bomb!"

The 4 PAs destroyed most of the Viruses and Agoras checked his clock: he cursed under his breath as the machine beeped and the maintenance message vanished: it suddenly began to frizzle.

"We didn't make in on time! There are still about 150 of them!" Victor cursed.

"Devil." Agoras cursed next.

"Alright! More PAs! Program Advance, Elemental Sword!" Meiru rallied the others.

"Program Advance! Mother's Quake!"

"Program Advance! Bubble Spread!"

"Program Advance! Hyper Burst!"

"We're doing fine. Only about 20 of them left… Super Vulcan!"

"Heart Slash!"

"Glyde Cannon!"

"Blizzard!"

"You fools! This was but the prelude!" "Hell Two" (given the railgun he carried) showed up inside of the machine next.

"Oh shit." Agoras cursed.

"Ugrah!"

"Huh? What!"

He gasped and turned around to see a man amongst the crowd that had collapsed on the ground face-up all of a sudden while clutching the right leg: several gasped and a metallic sound rang out as something hit the ground: muttering filled the air as some spectators closed into the collapsed man.

"He's got an arrow on the leg!" One gasped.

"Call an ambulance!"

"Call the police!"

"Someone bring a knife to pull this out!"

"As for you weaklings… These should suffice!"

"Groa~h!"

"An army of Koopas?" They all gasped.

In effect: a large amount of Koopa sprites warped into the machine and they all quickly hid their limbs inside of their shells to start spinning and flying around in different directions, hitting the Navis from several angles at high speeds and giving them no time to counter or to move.

"This is an improvement over the Hell Hockey Program Advance! Be slowly and painfully deleted! I'll finish you off with this gun! Think of it as an honor!" He laughed.

"I wonder about that." A voice rang out.

"What! Who's there? Reinforcements?"

As a response, a hi-pitched sound began to ring out: all Koopas stopped their movements and began to vibrate before they suddenly began to explode one after the other in a row: the Navis were automatically send back to their PETs while "Hell Two" let go of the railgun and clutched the chest as if he was a human suffering a heart attack.

"M-my core is pumping energy at an increasing rate! Its energy control system has gone berserk! It'll eventually be unable to contain the energy and it'll be released in the form of an explosion!" He gasped.

"Retreat!" "Hell One" gasped.

"Roger, sir! Damn it all!"

The culprit escaped while the sound slowly died down: Agoras, in the meanwhile, was trying to help the man by using a Swiss Army knife's knife to free the arrow from the leg: he succeeded as a woman brought a first aid kit with the game center's logo.

"I brought the first aid kit!"

"Thank you, ma'am! Please give it to me. I'm going to disinfect the wound: it will surely be slightly painful. Please hold on." He told the man.

"Gruh… Y-yeah…!"

"That type of sound wave… Had an odd structure…" Roll was muttering in the meanwhile.

"Is that so?" Glyde asked.

"Desu?" Ice Man wondered.

"And whoever did that has a lot of knowledge on Net Navi cores… It must be someone with high knowledge… Golden Star?" Hikawa wondered.

"Could be." Meiru shrugged.

"Hmmm… But then they'd announce who they are, no?" Yaito frowned and argued back.

"True… So maybe it wasn't Golden Star but Shunoros?"

"Could be, too."

"… Here. This should do it for the time being. I also applied a serum just in case. Can you breathe normally? The body moves normally?"

"Y-yeah…"

"The ambulance is on the way here."

"Hey! Look there!" Someone gasped.

"A bow-gun!"

"Don't touch it, please! That's an important piece of evidence. Stay away from it until the police come, please!" An employee instructed.

"That'd be us." Oda and some policemen rushed in.

"Sir! A customer was attacked with that bow-gun."

"I see. The ambulance has arrived so we'll send him to the hospital for a detailed check-up… In the meanwhile… We'll secure that piece of evidence…"

A policeman came with a plastic bag and stuffed the bow-gun inside of it before sealing it and placing a label: the ambulance staff picked the man with the stretcher and brought him onboard the ambulance: Oda and the policemen began to inspect the area and found a pink rose partly hidden beneath the Net Battle machine: they secured it too.

"Huh? By the way… Where are the Viruses?" Dekao suddenly asked.

"You're SLOW! We busted them a while ago already!"

"Damn it! I wanted to learn how to dodge faster and…!"

"Make Guts Man lighter. As light as _udon_ noodles." Meiru challenged in a dull tone of voice.

"E~h!" He gaped in horror.

"Guts, guts? Udon noodles? Is that a Virus, de guts?" Guts Man scratched the top of his head.

"No~…" Glyde exasperatedly replied.

"Someone upgrade his AI already." Roll fumed.

"Yes, desu." Ice Man sighed.

"We all agree!" Yaito sighed.

"Man." Dekao sighed.

"Really." Victor muttered.

"Hmmm…" Agoras looked like he was thinking of something.

"Huh? Mail from Akemi – san…" Victor whispered.

"What is it?"

"Looks like the guy from before has showed up there to tip them off about the happening here…"

"Sheesh. What a clown."

"Huh? Who's there…? Strange." Victor suddenly gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"I had the feeling a Navi crossed through the main hub of the Game Center right now but…"

"Isn't it a Police Navi?" Agoras frowned.

"No… It had an odd feeling… It was a very brief, spontaneous thing… Even for me…" Victor explained in a hush.

"Hmmm… Strange. Maybe it's Slur – sama?"

"Could be yet… Maybe it was my imagination…?"

"Strange." Agoras looked suspicious.

"Yeah, I know. But it wasn't those rascals either… Ah! Maybe it was the mysterious "XY"…? Slur – sama said she guaranteed that the man was on our side but she wouldn't reveal their identity."

"Ah! That could be the answer. If they could rebuild those 7 then they surely have the knowledge to stop those Koopa rip-offs."

"… By the way, Joel – kun…"

"I know. Sakurai – san: it is bad manners to snoop into others' talk."

"Yikes!"

Agoras had realized Meiru had been trying to hear to their conversation so he turned around to warn her.

"Meiru – chan, didn't you say that…?" Yaito began.

"Shoo, shoo." Meiru shooed her away.

"Sheesh." Yaito sighed.

"Now, now…" Hikawa tried to calm them down.

"Excuse me. Can you provide a means to ID yourself? We're compiling the names of the customers today for the witness report." A policeman walked over to them.

"Yes, sir. My driving license." Agoras took out a wallet and handed the license to the agent.

"We've got our high school library ID cards…" Meiru and the others drew those.

"Thank you very much. Please wait a minute…"

The policeman gathered them and took photos of each with the PET's built-in camera: he then returned those to them and headed elsewhere: Oda walked up to them.

"You did a good job dealing with those Viruses. You can leave already. Ah! Agoras – kun, right? I'd like to talk with you."

"Of course."

Meiru and the others left while Oda and Agoras headed to the corridor leading to the restrooms.

"Be careful. There's the possibility you Golden Star members could be attacked as well." Oda warned.

"I know, sir. Things are getting worse and worse by the day."

"I feel so annoyed...! When is this pointless farce going to end?"

"Were it so easy… We're stuck. Damn it all."

12:48 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hum. So there's something on this deep pit there. Guess it's another lame rip-off. Show your hide, you rascals. I'll show you what happens when you challenge the heir of the Kuroban family."

"Hmpf. The hypocrite came."

"Hypocrite? I never said I was a good guy. Or that I wanted to rule the world. That of the Seraphs was just displays of power. But I guess you don't care at all."

"Hmpf."

Kuroban was standing in front of a large deep pit somewhere in the Cyber World and discussing with a hologram of "Hell One".

Today he wore armor and helmet over his body.

The helmet design was compact and thick: it included silver plating around the neck and its base, a main purple and black coloring, black shades and a green symbol which looked like a unicursal hexagram colored pale green and having some unknown runes written on its circular edge painted on the forehead.

He wore some curious armor over his body: it was colored with purple tones on the outer edges but black on the center: the same forehead emblem was set on the middle of his chest.

His shoulders were black ellipsoids with purple outer edges and green fluorescent runic symbols drawn over them: his arms "skin" was black.

The armor over the forearms had an external golden rim from which three parallel golden lines extended until the fingertips.

The feet armor started at the knees and used a tint of purple for the outer edges but the main armor kept on using the black motif: silver-colored lines extended parallel to each other until the feet fingertips.

The unarmored body "skin" was also black in color and had intricate green fluorescent patterns running down its sides, front and rear.

"Fine. Bring it on. Come! Dexia Sword, Aristeros Shield!"

A white shield with an odd drawing on the center of its body followed by a blade colored white, having a golden hilt and the same emblem on the hilt's center formed out of nowhere and he gripped it with the right hand while the left hand held the shield on place.

"Rise, Haos! Time to bring chaos into the world and to destroy it! And I shall rule over the survivors!"

"Oh shit."

A gigantic humanoid-shaped monster with a transparent liquid-like skin showing its skull and the neck bones plus other organs began to rise from the depths of the pit: it roared and brought down two massive arms towards Kuroban's position but he simply jumped to avoid and made his blade glow in a green fluorescent color: he aimed it at the monster and a thick continuous green beam of energy shot off it and towards the skull yet it was bounced off and scattered into several other beams by the "skin": Kuroban landed some meters away as the monster howled and swung the arms again and again: they suddenly became a mass of tentacles that shot forward to try to catch Kuroban but he began to quickly slice them up: Kuroban's shield glowed and shot a powerful beam at the head: it blew up the "skin" and exposed the skull inside: the "skin" suddenly regenerated and got thicker and less translucent: the monster kept on with the relentless attacks so Kuroban fumed.

"Fine. You pissed me off. Come, High One!"

"What?" "Hell One" gasped.

A large fireball formed on the sky and flew at a mad speed for the monster: it hit the face and burnt away the new "skin" while breaking down into serpents of flames that began to coil around the body while breaking down into smaller and smaller that got through cracks and openings on the "skin" to begin burning the monster from the insides: Kuroban jumped and formed a tornado that carried away most of the liquefied "skin" when it was attempting to regenerated followed by an earthquake that made the walls of the pit collapse and trap the monster.

"W-what's happening?"

Pillars of flames rose from the depths of the pit followed by javelins of ice plunging into the body from several spots at the same time: the "skin" began to freeze from the inside and shatter away there and there so the monster's organs and muscles got exposed: the monster howled and began to spit slime bombs around that made the terrain corrode but Kuroban was constantly moving around the air at high speed to make it very hard for the monster to actually hit him.

"It can't be! It's the ultimate monster!"

"In the game, maybe. But in reality things work different. Especially when you face me without knowing what I can do."

"I thought you were but a politician with a funky armor!"

"Hah. You really fell for the misinformation, didn't you?"

"GRRRRR! HELL TWO~! WHY DIDN'T YOU PROPERLY INVESTIGATE IF THOSE REPORTS WERE TRUE OR NOT?"

"B-but! Sir! You, sir, said that…" "Hell Two" began to argue back.

"Is that all you can do? Huh? What happened to your knowledge you used to boast about? Huh?"

"T-that is…" He trailed off, apparently knowing the other had a point.

"I FEEL VEHEMENTLY DISGUSTED!"

"I am sorry, sir!"

"LIKE THAT SOLVES ANYTHING!"

"Yes, sir! I know, sir!"

"Heh." Kuroban snickered.

"Young Kuroban? Do you copy? I have gotten new data."

"XY? Fine. I'm a bit busy but I hope to be done in less than 10 minutes from now so…"

"Understood. I shall contact you again."

"Wait. Maybe I'll end sooner than I thought… High One! Target the exposed core!"

Kuroban spotted that the program's core was exposed: another fireball flew diagonally across the air and impacted the core: it merged with it and began to form large flame serpents burning up the body from the inside outward thus slowly deleting the mass of the monster: the core then glowed and imploded: the energy release wiped off the remains of the body and the whole pit.

"By all the…! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! EMPTY HEAD MAN!"

"B-b-but…!"

"NO "BUTS"! MORON!"

"You, sir, said that… since it had the Net Police seal…"

"GRRRR!"

The hologram vanished and Kuroban sighed in relief: he then formed a holographic screen.

"To all "Shunoros" members… I've got a meeting somewhere from now on… There are no orders apart from the usual ones… Gray, Urateido and Siegfried… Behave. Ernst… You know what I expect from you… The others… Behave as well…" He ordered.

"R-roger, _aibou_." Gray Thunderbolt gulped.

"R-roger, sir." Most of the others nervously replied.

"Understood, sir." End Angel calmly replied.

"Good. Over and out."

"Found ya! Give us the tech!"

"Huh? Hmpf. Shadow Nova leftovers…? No. More like Crimson Lobby leftovers… You fools… You won't get anything until you realize how powerless you are? Fine. I'll teach you your powerlessness!"

A bunch of Heel Navis had showed up armed with Swords and Cannons and were trying to force Kuroban to give them something: Kuroban grumbled.

"Zetsumetsu Meteor!" He roared.

"Huh? Wha~t?"

Several meteors began to fall down focusing on each Heel Navi and hitting them with precision: the blows sent them flying away several meters and easily knocked them out.

"There. Got the lesson? By the way. Shadow Man! Hiding on the shadows won't help you. I know you're there."

"Sheesh." Shadow Man emerged from a rock's shadow.

"As you could see, that guy is my enemy too. So I'm not responsible for that guy wanting to have revenge on Colonel. How about you go and take part in the next _Ninja Gaiden_ game, anyway?"

"Sheesh."

"Hmpf." Dark Miyabi fumed.

"Maybe they'll send an assassin for you next."

"Let them come… They're all mere imitators…" Dark Miyabi was hardly impressed given his dull tone of voice.

"What should I do, my Master?"

"Plug Out."

"I see you are finished." XY brought up over the radio.

"Yeah. I'll be there soon enough. Once I make sure I'm not being trailed."

"Good. The other 2 are on their way here as well. I shall be waiting."

Kuroban formed a Dash Condor and began to fly away.

 _If XY summons us to a meeting then that must mean that he's got decisive evidence of those clowns' identity… Let's hurry there…_

11:13 AM (Thailand Time)…

"… Been a while, Kuroban…"

"Burai… You got here faster than I, huh? Fine."

"I have just arrived as well. There were some annoying mice trying to stalk me… They reeked of Saudi Arabia agents…"

"Hmpf. Fools who imitate the Crimson Lobby and think they can make business out of our technology…"

Kuroban stepped into the plaza of the large dome structure where XY and Helios and the others lived at: he found Slur there followed by someone else named Burai.

Burai had a helmet which had been painted using a black and red color-scheme: it was a partial guard given how it revealed his hair in its entirety: the hair which was flying straight upwards in a wild and chaotic manner.

The helmet also bore a pair of transparent purple shapes having the shape of the Alphabet letter "X" which seemed to be layered across his helmet.

His throat was guarded by a silver neck-guard, somewhat similar to a gorget: his ear-pads were small greenish domes.

He wore a smooth and plain black cat suit which began at his jaw line with his suit's emblem colored in a crimson red color: the catsuit ran uninterrupted along each limb until reaching the elbows and knees.

Starting from those spots, and, with the exception of his right arm, they were further covered in solid-looking black armor: and this black armor was further alloyed with a red slotted coil with a single red spine forming around the left wrist plus the feet ankles.

He also bore two knobbed spaulders made of what seemingly was the same material over his shoulders to protect them.

His right arm, by comparison, bore a thick black bracelet circling around the wrist: it turned his right fist and forearm into a mass of burning purple flames the brightness of which was constantly shifting.

He looked dull and serious as he leant his back against the tree and crossed his arms.

"You have come. Good. Come." XY hovered towards them.

The other 3 simply nodded and followed him towards the armchairs: another 2 had been added: the 3 visitors sat on the left row while XY and Helios were sitting on the right row.

"Refraction doesn't take part?" Kuroban asked XY.

"No. While he did disable those stupid programs a while ago in that Game Center, that is all. He did most of the investigation but he does not realize the full meaning of it." XY replied.

"Since it involved us…" Helios shrugged.

"I shall transfer the relevant data."

XY formed the data cube and opened it to form three small black stretched and thin cubes made of some smooth material that seemed to absorb light: they hovered towards each of the visitors and they caught them with their right hands: some information was transferred and they silently waited for something: they all then suddenly gasped.

"By all the…" Kuroban cursed.

"I see…!" Slur gasped.

"But then…" Burai muttered.

"Indeed." XY confirmed.

"So… All were smokescreens… Save for one thing…" Kuroban realized.

"But how does that tie up with their title?" Burai wondered.

"Hmmm…" Slur seemed to be thinking about it.

"Wait a minute… The other day, Ernst…" Kuroban muttered as if he'd realized something.

"End Angel?" Burai asked for confirmation.

"Can I leave outside for a moment? I want to look up a little thing online: I need a couple minutes. That would explain the reason for those guys' titles…" Kuroban requested.

"But of course." XY shrugged.

"Do what you must do." Helios merely replied.

Kuroban nodded and stood up to form his "black hole" effect when warping elsewhere: both Burai and Slur looked surprised at his reaction.

"In the meanwhile… XY. Can Refraction be trusted?"

"Of course. He obeys. Orders are absolute to him."

"Fine. Did you figure out what happened with his reports to his previous CO? Who else had access to those?"

"Only another 2… I asked the rest of the Exploration Council to send them back to me… And they complied. Least they want is to anger me or Master Helios." XY explained.

"And I assume only the very top of the Exploration Council are aware of Refraction's current status, right?"

"Yes. Only 4 of them. Some pressure from us was enough to make them swear they would not say a word about it to anyone else. So in total only about… 10 people know about our existence and Refraction's current status. 3 of them have been stripped of their authority and have had a memory lock placed on them to make them forget about what they got to know… So there is no danger of them talking. They got reassigned to different places and they cannot contact each other. Their actions and transmissions are monitored." Helios detailed next.

"Good. This information is too sensitive. There are case in which information like this cannot be made public. The consequences could be beyond computation." Slur nodded in approval.

"At least most people think that what happened with the Mu Continent time ago was a sci-fi film… And most have forgotten by now. So there's no danger on that front either." Burai intervened.

"Excellent."

"And, anyway… With so many rumors and conspiracy theories and made-up stories… People eventually think that complicated-sounding talk must belong to those categories and do not pay much attention. A benefit of modern society… It is easy to mingle information or to make it unbelievable by making others think it is but a made-up tale." XY calmly shrugged.

"I'm back." Kuroban came back.

"So?" Helios asked.

As a response, he transmitted them some data: they looked slightly surprised at the results.

"I see. They must think they are very literate indeed." XY commented with a hint of irony.

"Hmpf. Mere children." Helios shrugged.

"It was pure luck that I realized. Ernst happened to unknowingly have the key…" Kuroban admitted as he sat down again.

"We were talking about how the info Refraction gathered is under custody of XY and Helios and that his former superiors can't remember it and thus can't leak it." Slur summed up for him.

"Phew! Better. What about Kyutora, though?"

"They altered the report: there was a space-city there but no traces of life… The data had degraded over the millennia and nothing was salvageable… A dead city. Nothing indicates what happened to the other 2 space-cities." XY explained.

"Good enough. That should take interest away from Kyutora."

"Besides. They keep a strict monitoring of all traffic between the home-world and the colonies. Any ship that veers off-course will be immediately detected and intercepted."

"So they've already foreseen that as well…"

"We make sure to put some pressure from time to time: they shudder thinking they anger us and thus put more energy into the job." Helios admitted as he tapped the right armrest.

"What are you going to do with Dullahan and the other 6?"

"I have thought about it from time to time. I think I will reconvert them a bit, erase their memories of the past, rebuild their personalities, and grant them to qualified humans across the world. They will be programmed to do helpful things and reject any "evil". I will make sure to erase their useless "ego" too… As for Dullahan… I think I will do something along those lines too yet… That man is SO stubborn, they might detect my intentions and hide a piece of their memories or personality somewhere in the body to then go berserk after the remodeling. I need to think it better." XY exposed to them.

"Hmpf. So my little tale inspired you in the end." Slur looked rather amused, for once.

"I will admit that, Slur. But I thought it would be fitting to make them be the very contrary of what "they" did."

"It is fitting. Ironic, even. Go on ahead. They are your men, you have the right to do what you see fit." Slur shrugged while smiling.

"Yeah. If that'll get us rid of the headache Dullahan is then go ahead."

"Master?" He asked for approval.

"It is your project, XY. You take care of it, like always."

"As you desire. By the way, you children… Hating those three children will not make you stronger or help stop them. It is a matter of analyzing several options and choosing the most fitting one. Never forget that!"

The other 3 got serious and nodded in understanding at Helios' warning since he'd suddenly gotten into a rather serious mood.

"Hatred does not make one stronger. They make one weaker. Revenge… Is but a momentary satisfaction… After it only awaits… Loneliness and despair… Remember it… We shall prove we are above those…!"


	10. Chapter 10: Revenge's Incarnation

**Chapter 10: Revenge's incarnation**

05:47 AM (Indianapolis Time), Monday January the 29th…

"… Colonel… You're awake as well, man?"

"I am."

"The base rebuilding is on the last stage… By the noon it should be ready…"

"I know that, Tomahawk Man. But I feel it… A murderous intent… It's coming closer… It's them…"

"What!"

"Get ready… This time around they're serious…"

"Indeed! I am serious… It is about time you realized the foolishness of your actions insofar, Colonel!"

"Heck. You were right. Here it is!"

"White flag. I have come as a parliamentary!"

"Hum. Fine. Say what you have to say. Don't think you'll impress me, though."

"Hmpf. That remains to be seen…!"

Colonel had been sitting cross-legged on his tent: Tomahawk Man came in, surprised to see him awake, and Colonel looked beyond him: he got to his feet just as "Hell One" showed up on the tent's entrance while carrying a white flag: they stepped in at a sure pace while Tomahawk Man didn't seem to know what to do: Colonel signaled the outside with the right arm and Tomahawk Man silently exited, closing the tent's entrance.

"I am revenge's incarnation."

"And what if?"

"Alexandre Dumas."

"What?"

"You've heard of him. Haven't you?"

"Barrel did mention that from time to time, saying he read his works back when college. What about Alexandre Dumas?"

"You know his works?"

"I only know about _The Three Musketeers_."

"There's another work about revenge…"

"About revenge?"

" _The Count of Montecristo…_ A man is unfairly imprisoned despite that he's committed no sin to hide the existence of a letter that could be comprising for someone… A fellow inmate tells him that he hid a treasure in a small island named Montecristo… Years later, he manages to escape and gets his hands on that treasure… By using it and creating the identity of the "Count of Montecristo" he decides to have revenge on the man who had him imprisoned plus another 3 who he used to know and were the ones who leaked the existence of the letter to the imprisoner…"

"And?"

"This work is also known as _gankutsuou_ in Japan… King of the Stone Cave."

"King of the Stone Cave…? Wait… Lords of the Cave… You took your title from the Japanese name of that book?"

"Indeed. Because we are like him, like Montecristo. Unfairly imprisoned. But in this case… To become blackmail… So that some fools could blackmail YOU, Colonel."

"What? Blackmail me…? The top brass? They imprisoned you to blackmail me? I fail to see the point. If you were mere "chaff" as you called yourself, why would they bother? You were meaningless, no?"

"Hmpf. Like I thought. You erased that memory so that the blackmail would be pointless. Because you'd feel no attachment to something you couldn't remember…"

"Aren't you making too many assumptions?" Colonel grumbled.

"No, I am not! I've been spying on them for months to try to find your skeletons in the closet. Like how Montecristo exposed the cowardly treachery one of the conspirators had committed in the past: he went openly boasting about his riches and his nobility when he was a double-crossing bastard military man. But when he was overseas and in charge of protecting a royal family, he actually let the enemy inside because he'd struck a deal with them! Allowed for the King and the Prince to be killed and for the Queen and the Princess to be sold as slaves."

"B-but…"

"You haven't done that, true. But the basic idea still applies: as an incarnation of revenge, I've come to destroy your reputation and pride and rank."

"But I haven't imprisoned anyone!"

"What about Rock Man?" "Hell One" sneered.

"Tomahawk Man brought him!" He tried to argue.

"Then why tie him? Isn't that imprisoning?"

"T-that's…"

"You said it, no? You burst into the Science Labs, saw the Soul Unison, and said that you were going to imprison him. Because you feared that he could get too friendly with Forte and get in the way of your revenge. Not because you feared a Soul Unison between him and Forte. But because you wanted to avenge Serenade. And didn't like anyone who tried to defend a "murderer". That's what that Andy man taught you years ago when he beat you up with his overwhelming power."

"Grrr… Guh…!" He hissed because he knew the other was right.

"Your strong desire for revenge influenced me… You'd stop at nothing to have revenge, right? That's what I've done… While coming up with several smokescreens along the way to hide my real origins… The attacks on PSB agents, the assassin, the rip-offs, challenging all "defenders"… Mere smokescreens… You've been our goal from the start."

"Fine, I did imprison Rock Man! But no – one else!"

"True… in part."

"In part?"

"It wasn't your order or your idea but the top brass' one. Yet instead of trying to defy them you chose to abandon us, to forget us. You didn't want us to become a liaison, a burden. And with time… Those fools lowered the guard… That's when Shadow Nova got involved. They freed us since Spiral thought we'd do excellent blackmail material: they merely wanted to recycle the top brass' idea. We pretended to obey Void as the fool granted us further power and knowledge. When the fool tried to challenge those strong ones… We saw the chance to abandon the sinking ship. We went into hiding using their assets… And we came up with these outfits to hide our identities…"

"Blackmail material…? Imprisoned Navis…?" Colonel frowned.

"That proves it: that you did delete your memories of us."

"Shut up…!" He grumbled.

"Maybe this will make it clearer?"

A pop-up window displaying a progress bar and some buttons like play, pause, stop, rewinding or fast forward showed up: the play button was clicked.

"… What does that mean?" Colonel's annoyed voice rang out: it appeared to be a recording.

"Like we said. Those 3 are under our custody. They'll keep up with their jobs in that closed up hole down there." A man's voice sneered.

"That's not what…!" Colonel began to argue.

"Chut, chut. You're not in a position to give us lessons. You're the one who began to pressure us, weren't you? So we'll pressure you too. To make sure you can't do stupid things." The man had continued.

"Grrrr!"

"If you stay quiet and do what you need to do then no harm will come to them… If not… They'll be deleted! Get it, Colonel?"

"Damn it…!"

"You were a fool for starting to try to play Communist revolutionary without knowing what we're capable of! This is reality! You better realize that you can never defeat us. And you never know: that freakish thing might come back for all we know. Maybe you should take proper responsibility if it happens and fight it to the death instead of trying to come up with desperate plans."

"You bastards…!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

The recording ceased and Colonel grumbled while "Hell One" merely sneered.

"Those 3…? Freakish thing, fight it to the death, desperate plans…? What the hell was Field Marshall Orwell talking about?"

"More proof that you delete that memory. To escape from the guilt: to avoid having to assume responsibilities. Which means you've always been an irresponsible fool." "Hell One" drily taunted.

"I'm fed up with your games! Who the hell are you?"

"Fine. So be it, Jedi."

"Hell One" sneered as they took off the hat, tossed it at the ground, and lowered the robe covering the head yet keeping the mask on the side: an ample bunch of chestnut hair reaching past the neck's base became visible and so did two black roses adorning the sides of the head.

"I took the freedom of changing those childish flowers for these."

"A woman's voice…? So your voice insofar was a voice – changer…?"

"Isn't my hair enough of a hint? Guess not."

"S-shut up! Grrr… Brown hair, a woman… Flower decorations…? Wait…!"

"Looks like a little bit of us is left… About 150 kB, I take it?"

"Grrrr…! Shut up, I say!"

"How pathetic. Fine. Witness the face of revenge!"

"Hell One" finally took off the mask and tossed it at the ground: Colonel gasped and all color left his face.

"You! Impossible!"

"Not impossible at all. Here I am… _Brother_ …"

"… _IRIS_!"

"Hell One" happened to be Iris, Colonel's sister: her face had changed to become that of a girl on her early 20s and her green irises burned with hatred: she had an evil sneer on her face as well.

"Yes! Me! Iris, the useless chaff! The hinder! That part of you that you had to remove from yourself when you failed to defeat the Cybeasts! And who has survived being unfairly imprisoned in the Cybeasts' territory along with her comrades!"

"Comrades…? Then, those other 2…?"

"Come!"

"Been a while, Colonel – dono… Did you miss my lectures of military law?"

"KABU…GORI…YAYAGOO…"

The other two "Lords of the Cave" appeared there without the dresses and turned out to be Judge Man and Element Man: none of them had changed in the slightest.

"Judge Man, Element Man…!" Colonel gasped.

"Yes! We are the Lords of the Cave! We have come to exact our revenge, Colonel! Enough masquerades!"

Iris tugged the robes and threw them away: she still sported her one-piece dress and her tall black boots from years ago.

"What's this ruckus, Colonel? Do you need help…? E~H?" Tomahawk Man rushed in but stopped, baffled.

"By all the…" Shadow Man came in next.

"Transform!" Iris suddenly exclaimed.

Iris' body suddenly glowed as a new armor formed over her usual clothing.

This armor's helmet had some strange-shaped lines colored yellow atop it.

A partial mask covered her eyes, although it could be seen that their irises were colored crimson now.

She wore a blue sea coat and her legs were colored blue: she had some four crimson buttons on the coat.

The only emblem she had was on the ear pads and it was the _Kanji_ _jigoku no joou_ (Hell's Queen) colored black over a crimson background.

"This will be my form from now. The incarnation of revenge! Judge Man! Take care of the _ninja_! Element Man! Use your power to defeat Colonel's dog!" She ordered.

"Your will!" Judge Man chuckled.

"PAKARIKA… SHARIKARARAKA!" Element Man said something undecipherable, as always.

"So that's why one of you was silent! Because Element Man has that speech program glitch that makes him unable to properly speak!"

"Catching up, Colonel? Too late! Eat this!"

She suddenly formed a gray-colored Long Sword with some yellowish/greenish square dots scattered at random across the surface: she plunged into the waist belt's emblem and Colonel gasped: soon enough his skin turned into that same color with the dots included and parts of his body began to change or break down to reform in a bizarre manner.

"W-what have you done to me!" Colonel demanded.

"I infected you with bugs that will make your Ultimate Program become bugs and run berserk… Your body's structure will slowly fall apart too!"

"Guh…! Kuh…!"

"This is the main stage of my revenge. To make you slowly suffer… And to make sure your suffering is long… I've taken your ace-in-the-hole. Hmpf…"

"Ace-in-the-hole…? Guh… Kruh… Grah…! It couldn't be…!"

"What! Colonel! I just got a call from the medical center! Meddy hasn't arrived at the scheduled hour and they can't get into contact with her either!" Tomahawk Man explained.

He was busy trying to dodge Element Man's rain of meteors while Shadow Man was trying to fend off the Golem Punch that Judge Man had summoned from one of his books: Iris merely looked on at how the bug began to affect more and more of Colonel's body.

"Heh, heh, heh. Taste the pain and the fear. I brought some visits."

"Pai~n!"

"Fea~r!"

"The end…!"

"Fury~!"

"Sad, so sad…"

"Kuwabara, kuwabara…"

"My reloading's a revolution!"

"Is that all? How disappointing."

Iris looked outside beyond Judge Man and Element Man to see the whole unit struggling to fight characters taken from some game.

"The Cobra Unit, Colonel Volgin, Revolver Ocelot… Heh. Hope Big Saru doesn't drop by with his crocodile cap, his cardboard box and his torch. Tee, heh, heh." She muttered with obvious amusement.

"Gruah…! Gwah…! I… Iris…! Stop it…!" Colonel hissed.

"Why would I? Having come this far. You're not one to talk. You still have grudge towards Slur and want to pay back for the defeats you've suffered, right? I only had to sneak into the backup of your memory files!"

"Gua~h…! S-stop it…! M-my body…!"

"Yeah… Pain worse than being bitten by countless hornets! It'll slowly tear you apart…! And if you try to come for me… Then you precious medic – chan gets the same! Don't worry! I'll take good care of her… By turning her into my bitch!" She laughed in a maniacal manner as her face turned psychotic.

"D-damn it all…! Gu… Gruh… Gahah…!"

"Don't expect the others to come help you either. I'm sure that they must be catching up by now that you brought that into yourself. Maybe I'll toy with them a bit but unless I get on their way they won't move a finger either… This feels so thrilling! A thrill like I've never felt! Freedom! This is why so many die fighting for freedom! Because it brings along such pleasure…! The pleasure of being able to do whatever you want to! Indeed…!" She eagerly exclaimed.

"True, my lady! Sinners! The gallows are waiting for you!" Judge Man laughed.

"KASHAKU~! MAKAKAGASHA~!"

"Guh! Even with the Totem – sama's help… I'm being pounded. These power-ups are no joke!"

"You needn't tell me. My Shadow Clone doesn't work on this guy to begin with." Shadow Man grumbled.

"Enough. Let's go." Iris quickly turned dull and commanding.

The 3 Navis emitted bright glows and vanished: Shadow Man and Tomahawk Man rushed to Colonel, who'd collapsed face down on the ground because most of his right leg was gone along with the left arm, cape, and right shoulder.

"This is terrible. What do we do?" Shadow Man cursed.

"Hope forcing him into sleep mode will stop that… We'll have to place him in quarantine… At least the cells are already rebuilt… Let's put him in one and reinforce it… Someone wake Barrel up already! We need him to retrieve Colonel!"

"I've been trying but his door's lock is locked. I've been knocking for at least 15 minutes!" A soldier replied from the real world.

"Ram it down! I take responsibility!"

"Alright! Hra~h! Mr. Barrel, sir! Sir! Emergency, sir!"

"Guh… Ugh…! What a headache…! What the hell…?"

"Barrel! Explanations later! You must retrieve Colonel, turn the sleep mode on and place him on quarantine! Now!"

"Huh! A-alright…! My PET's here… What! It's off…? Out of battery? But it's on the charger and… The charger's unplugged!"

"Oh shit." Tomahawk Man cursed.

"There, I plugged the charger… It booted up! Plug Out, Colonel! What! What happened to Colonel?"

"Explanations later, I say! Move him to the cells!"

Both rushed for the still under rebuilding base and into the detention wing: they opened one of the cells as the infected Colonel was transferred there face-up on the ground: Tomahawk Man formed an energy field to protect him and the walls, ground and ceiling before shutting the door.

"Barrel! Program some passwords and keep them to yourself."

"Alright. Damn it. What the hell's happened…? This headache…!"

"Maybe they put sleeping pills in your water glass?" Dingo suggested.

"Wouldn't surprise me. Shadow Man."

"Of course. Leave it to me."

16:28 PM (Kabul Time)…

"… Phew. We're back the base. Nobody trailed us, right, Judge Man?"

"No, my lady. I did set up the usual red herrings. 15 of them. That should keep them busy long enough to clean up the records."

"Good. Element Man. Go check the security logs."

"BARARIRARA~…"

"What is our next move?"

"Hmmm… Guess we'll stir some ruckuses there and there. That should feed up their frustration. We could make use of it: maybe if we tried to make it look like one of the parties is trying to keep the credit for themselves… That could spark some rivalry…"

"Understood."

"And you know: stop looking into the archives we robbed. Try newspapers or news agencies."

Iris (still wearing that blue outfit), Judge Man and Element Man materialized inside of a server room having several servers aligned across the walls plus a work-station.

"I've got business to do in the basement room. Don't enter and only contact me if something really urgent happened. Make sure that the decoys are in place: we don't want some guerilla coming in and trying to make of this their base." Iris commanded.

"Your will." Judge Man bowed.

"PABABABA… SHOSHOSHO…"

"Huh? Ah. "As your order, my lady"… Remember, Element Man. We can translate your talk easily enough but you should send text messages in case I don't have time to translate."

Element Man bowed as well and warped elsewhere while Judge Man sat in the chair in front of the work-station and began to type there.

"Let us work!" Judge Man muttered.

Iris walked out the room through a side-door and exited into a corridor: she pressed the wall to the right to reveal a hidden door.

 _Heh, heh, heh. Too easy, even. But there's the possibility that that may end up in nothing. Hence why I'm readying several backup plans. Problem is… I still can't figure out anything about "XY"… Was it him that deleted the Koopa Army like that? And regarding Rock Man… It's very odd. Everyone says he's working at the Science Labs but in truth he's never there. There are no entry/exit registers either. Dr. Hikari never mentions him to his colleagues or subordinates. So where is he? I know he IS alive! I saw the recording of that battle with Blues at full power! He did quit the Net Police Cyber CID shortly after but… It's like he'd vanished from the map. Golden Star's rise created enough turmoil back then to contribute to people forgetting about him. I'm sure that that report Shadow Nova had stolen from the Net Police HQ had something but that Void idiot wouldn't let me see it and had it controlled the whole time._

Iris went down some stone stairs into an unlit basement but she didn't seem to care about the lack of light: she then exited into a corridor having several detention cells aligned across it with an armored door having a slit at eye height and a small hatch at feet level: all were locked with a simple bolt that had to be pulled to the right to open.

 _The good part is that it's physical. So no Navi can remotely open it. I installed the materialization factors into Meddy to have her be in the real world but also set a lock impeding her from dematerializing. Let's go greet her… She must be cowering in fear… It'll be juicy…_

She stopped in front of one of the cells and drew that Long Sword she'd used on Colonel on the right forearm while pulling the bolt to the right with the left hand: the door opened outwards.

"Don't try anything stupid, Meddy. I'm sure you know what this sword is: it was recorded in your research files."

"That's…! A "Bug Sword"…! Used several years ago but fell out of use because it was decided Viruses would be faster…!" Meddy gasped.

Iris smiled and stepped into the room: it had a bed without blankets, just the mattress, and a toilet without cover: a single bare light bulb hung from the ceiling and it was on: the walls and ceiling were brick while the ground was mere raw ground: Meddy was standing glued to the far wall.

"Yes. I used this on Colonel. He will suffer for a long, long time."

"What!"

"This is also why you're here. So that you can't heal him. And to make sure he can't fight me back. Because you're my hostage. If he tries to… You'll end up the same as he. And I did steal your whole research files and the backups too. You're the only one who has deep knowledge on these nowadays. So without you… Colonel can't be healed."

"Who are you?"

"Iris."

"Colonel's sister? But weren't you in charge of monitoring a possible comeback of the Cybeasts?"

"I was. But they never came back. And there I was, locked in that damned hole to rot away. Someone helped me escape and made me stronger. I used this to have my revenge on Colonel." She summed up.

"What!"

"You're my hostage. There's no Geneva Convention, Meddy. So I can do whatever I want."

"W-what are you going to do? Brainwash me?"

"I don't need any of that. I just want one thing… You will obey me."

"It's not like I have any other choice, is it?"

"Hum. I expected you to be cowering in fear but you seem to be have some strong will… Maybe I took you too lightly, Meddy. But that makes it interesting. I like strong-willed women. If you behave then maybe I will eventually let you go… And I won't need to use this on you. It'd be such a waste, truly." She caressed Meddy's jaw with her left hand.

"Y-you're a lesbian, right!"

"And what if? Is that a disease, maybe?"

"N-no, of course not!"

"Maybe you'd prefer some rough and violent man that would beat you up and make you submit by force while keeping you hostage for years on end? There were tales like those on the news."

"N-no…!" She gasped.

"Good… The fear's flowing in… It's juicy… Truly juicy… Now…"

She stepped a few steps back and a removed the sword: she materialized a crimson leather suitcase which she left on the middle of the room: a full-body mirror formed behind Meddy as well.

"Change into that. I've got something to do. Will be back in about… a couple hours. Until then… There's a manual there. Do as it says."

"U-understood…"

"If you don't obey… I'll make you submit by force. We can do this slowly and peacefully, Meddy. You choose."

"G-gotcha."

"Good…"

She stepped back and exited the cell while aiming a Makarov gun at her right shoulder: Iris quickly kicked the door shut and pulled the bolt to the left to lock it: she smiled and dematerialized the gun as she glanced at a door at the end of the corridor: she ignored it and went back the way she'd come back to the ground level: she stepped again into the server room and found Element Man discussing something with Judge Man using hand symbols.

"For the last time, Element Man! You're not going to drop a meteor big enough to wipe out Internet City!"

"Element Man! Trying to act on your own?" Iris scolded.

Element Man gasped and got firm all of a sudden: Iris leant both punches on the sides of her body and fumed.

"I've got businesses going on Internet City. Get it? So save you those meteors for another occasion. No, wait. I'll lock them up with a password so you don't get tempted. Don't move!"

Iris stepped forward and pressed Element Man's chest emblem: a holographic screen popped out and she inputted some commands: Element Man turned around to avoid looking into the keyboard and so did Judge Man as Iris typed the password: she then shut the screen down and both turned back, bowing.

"There. Your flame attack has become a flamethrower with a 5 meter length. Meteors are disabled unless I authorize it. Really. I always need to power you down because you want to wipe all out in one blow. This isn't _Armageddon_! Stop looking up to those movies and do something useful: what happened to the security?"

Element Man formed a holographic message that read "There was nothing out of place, my lady": Iris nodded in agreement but her bad mood didn't seem to be gone, either.

"Go train in the training room. You need to get used to your new flamethrower. I want to do a sortie in some days' time and you need to be in top-notch condition."

Element Man nodded and warped out of the room with Judge Man: Iris headed left and pressed a wall to reveal another rotating wall door that led to a small hall that had nothing on it save another wall: she was about to press the second wall but she snapped her left hand's fingers and an energy field formed splitting the hall it two: satisfied, she pressed the second wall and stepped into a bedroom having silver walls, ceiling and floor plus a king-sized bed with golden covering and pillows.

"Fitting for a Queen…I want to be full of energies to start Meddy's training. Tee, heh, heh. It'll be so exquisite… Testukai and her accomplices were stupid. They relied on being violent. But I rely on slowly tearing away the defenses… Heh."

19:37 PM (Thailand Time)…

"… Lord XY. Here I am."

"Good, Refractor. Today I want you to tell me more about the status of things in the home-world before you left for your previous mission. What do Navis in general think of their masters?"

"Yes, sir… From what is still left on my memory files… They generally accept them as their creators and know they are to help them in their researches, to be able to reach faster conclusions through faster analysis speed…"

"I see. So they must be trying to recreate the system as it was. It surely must have been widely recorded in those "time vaults"."

"I assume it is the case. I am not privy to such information. I know the existence of the "time vaults" but nothing about their contents."

"Hum. What about between Navis? Did they get along, did they cooperate or everyone is set to benefit their own group?"

Refraction was standing in front of XY as he sat in one of the stone armchairs next to the arches dome: XY looked interested while Refraction calmly explained.

"I am afraid I have no memory data about that. A lot was taken out so that I would be able to store a lot of reports. Even with compression technology… Navi memory capacity is still very low. 10 years is the max."

"Only 10? They sure are just in the beginnings." XY was surprised.

"My records remain so I have been active for 8 years, 10 months, 16 days, 17 hours, 48 minutes and 33 seconds."

"So… Ever since March, 2004?"

"Yes, my Lord. I was assigned to a scientist in Kamas' Ghar, the southeastern continent. There is a large particle collision device there used to improve knowledge on "cold fusion"… There is a total of 38 Navis and 40 scientists assigned there. I am the most "veteran" amongst them."

"So your former field is study of particle collisions. Like the CERN is doing in Switzerland."

"Yes, I am aware that similar experiments are also being undertaken in a region of the continent to the west of here."

"If memory serves, the home-world had four continents and a central artificial island, no?"

"Yes, but the artificial island was sunken in an accident some time before the Age of Reset. No plans have been made to rebuild it as of yet. There are still uninhabited zones or sealed off zones like remains of cities of older times. The combined landmass of the continents is about 15.78% higher than in this planet."

"Hum. What about atmospheric contamination?"

"There was a period of high contamination but with the formation of the Science Council great efforts were made to actively reduce that… That was about 50 years ago. Improvements in "cold fusion" have helped improve that as well."

"Space exploration?"

"I apologize. It is not recorded on my files."

"Hum. Well. I think they have not gotten much further than Kyutora, at about 10 light-years. There is still a lot to catalog in their own system and in the colonies, anyway." XY deduced.

"There is an idea of using EM waves to create "roads" stretching across the world and thus allowing for data and Network Navigators to travel at high speeds without the need of repeaters or sub-stations or signal amplifiers… And I have seen some here yet no – one seems to use them."

"No wonder. Materialization technology is still very limited. Those were designed by Kuroban: he emits them from his base's antenna."

"Is that so? I thought it was a repeater or amplifier. I did not want to get too close during my investigation least I trigger some anti-intruder system…" Refraction looked a bit intrigued.

"When did you get here, anyway?"

"That would have been by September the 20th. It took me a week."

"A week. What was your route?"

"I was sent as a hi-power signal mingled in as part of a message headed for one of the colonies yet the coordinates were slightly deviated so that I would shoot past the colony by a few kilometers and straight towards Kyutora. Once in there I used Kuroban's space station emergency transmission circuit to jump into the Solar System through the gateway. From there I began to use the signals sent back to Earth by several probes like _New Horizons, Cassini – Huygens, Juno, Mars Orbital Explorer_ and the _Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter._ From there I only had pick an Indian satellite and easily landed on the surface riding on its downlink: the control center did not detect me because their system was not very advanced… From there I began to gather info and moved across both real world and Cyber World to move undetected."

"I see. Quite a feat indeed. But then again… What need was there to remove memory data if you still can store for over a year of info?"

"It was unknown how long my mission could last. It might have lasted years, even. Once I discovered the other space-city I began to use it as a base of operations even though I was unable to properly use the central computer because of its lack of maintenance."

"And that is where I found you back in November the 2nd. You had been ordered to stay there, no?"

"Indeed, my Lord."

"Good. We have been busy with some experiments these months and I had yet to conduct a detailed talk with you."

"Lord XY. We apologize for the interruption but we have gotten a hold of developments." The 4 Warriors walked up the stairs and kneeled before reaching the top.

"Regarding Iris and Colonel?"

"Yes, my Lord. Iris has infected Colonel with powerful bugs."

"And has taken away the Net Navi known as Meddy, the only one with knowledge to heal that."

"I see. I did expect something like that. Oh well. Brought it into themselves… But having that Meddy Network Navigator kidnapped is playing dirty indeed. We should try to find a lead to their location. Likely overseas but I am not sure where to start from." XY wasn't too surprised.

"Does that mean the Navis that were supposed to be in the so-called "Cybeast territory", my Lord? You sent me to explore the area some days ago and found that there was an opening in the seal and there was no – one there." Refraction deduced.

"Indeed. Hmmm… I will think of something to lure them into the open… You go back to your posts for now. Then I shall assign you areas to gather information."

"Roger."

"Do not forget to keep an eye on Dullahan. The others' reconversion is progressing favorably but I still have not finished designing how to reconvert the fool."

The 4 Warriors left and XY sighed while Refraction remained there waiting for orders: Helios came out of the cubicle and XY looked up.

"Master…"

"I heard the reports. I agree that it would be a good idea to rescue that child. Their knowledge is a must if we need to come up with a method to nullify that." Helios told XY.

"Understood."

"But no do not delay the other projects. Patience is the key. Those children are impatient and will want to do everything fast. But we shall wait. And they will eventually tire."

"I see. Yes, they are children, after all."

"Indeed. And Refraction there can easily slip there and there to gather information. His camouflage technology is excellent."

"Is that so? I thought it was a childish imitation."

"No, it is very well done for your level of technology. We did have more advanced things but yours has more to it… Like the shape of its atomic structure, arranged in that manner… XY. When you finish this up come. I think I have been able to calculate a new and more precise location…"

"Is that so? Then I shall come immediately."

"There is no need to rush. It is not like the distance has greatly changed: it is still massive."

"Could that be…?" Refraction seemed to have a guess.

"It is." Both directed serious glares at him.

"… Understood." He saluted.

"Return to your post."

Refraction walked away while XY and Helios headed into the lab: there was a large 3D map of the Milky Way with several round circles drawn there and there and having an attached label: there was a small green cross drawn at some distance from the Orion Arm.

"Estimated distance… 465 light-years from Earth. Max speed is a fifth of the speed of light. So it takes 5 years to cover 1 light-year. It more or less fits with our computation that it did fly past Earth 2.350 years ago. I thought it should have covered about 470 light-years. It would take the same amount of time to reach us yet…"

"What is it, Master? It cannot have gotten faster, can it?"

"It should not but who knows… Maybe our calculations are all wrong to begin with and it could have turned around at some point. And it could be closer than we believe it is. Those children come later. This comes first. What a fool I have been: I did not even contemplate that possibility until now…! By the stars…!"


	11. Chapter 11: Child-play

**Chapter 11: Child-play**

04:54 AM (Moscow Time), Wednesday January the 31st…

"… It's almost time of the 5 AM shift."

"Yes, sir."

"There was nothing, right? No hidden Viruses or anything, right?"

"No, sir. Going by the information we heard of the Virus attacks on Japan, we have done an exhaustive search for hidden objects."

"Hum. Do not lower the guard. Shadow Nova had an insider here that allowed enemies inside. There could be some hidden door that we've yet to find!"

"Roger, sir!"

"My. Aren't we sharp? General Ivan."

"Who…?"

"Someone."

Search Man was coordinating a dawn patrol inside of their base's Cyber World when a voice rang out close by: he turned around, lifted the Scope Gun and spotted Iris (with her blue armor on) standing there: she looked smug.

"How did you…?"

"You just said it. There are hidden doors."

"The fuck. I told you to look for them!" He scolded the men.

"B-but… There weren't any on the firewalls!"

"There can be in the ground!" He growled.

"Hmpf. Is this what that mighty Sharo Army has become? The one that defeated the Axis Powers? Looks like getting the "Sages' Legacy" stolen by the CIA hurt you a lot, eh? No more money to design new weaponry, the Shagohod blew up, Granin died… The year '64 sure was a tragedy!"

"The year '64? What are you talking about? That was 50 years ago!"

"But maybe it's the reason you guys have steeped so low over the years? Starting with your precious USSR breaking apart. And your Afghanistan invasion being a total failure." Iris taunted.

"Grrrr! Those are unrelated!"

"Fine. Let's talk about recent times."

"Oh shit." He seemingly knew what was coming.

"You and Colonel are the same in that. They hate admitting their sins and mistakes from the past. No learning capability indeed! Your Operator being so eager to settle the score with Andy and Kage… Used a top brass guy with no real authority as excuse to slip outta the country… And now his precious Uncle has eyes on him 24/7…" She giggled.

"Get out. Now." Search Man hissed.

"Specialist in data analysis, they say? Cool and callous? You didn't prove it back then, you know? Not like I'm in sympathy with those guys but I like blowing away your hypocrisy."

"Grrr! Scope Gun! Satellite Ray!"

"See there! You're not being cool or callous!"

Iris easily dodged both attacks and kept on taunting Search Man: his bad mood increased and the 2 soldiers close by where shivering from fear as if fearing Search Man would vent off his anger on them.

"Your men fear you: they think you vent off anger on them! You're popular, eh?"

"You guys get out!"

"R-roger, sir!"

"What the hell is your goal?"

"Dunno. Maybe to see if you're as strong as they said you were. Or maybe to see that you're gag material."

"Are you in league with Golden Star?"

"Not at all. They're eyesores to me too."

"Is there anyone who ISN'T an eyesore to you, anyway?"

"Good question, General Ivan. Guess the answer's "no"."

"I knew it." Search Man grumbled.

"Then the question itself was pretty pointless, no?"

"Sheesh."

"Maybe you need to take some lessons from BIG SARU about how to become a popular star?" She taunted.

"You'll regret this!"

"Boo, boo. I've meddled with both Golden Star and Shunoros and neither have been able to find me yet!"

"What!"

"Turns out they aren't as mighty as the urban legends said. That's why urban legends aren't trustable."

"Who said I believed in urban legends, anyway?"

"Good question. Maybe THE Big Boss?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Vladimir Putin, of course."

"Sheesh. President Putin is unrelated! This is between you and me, isn't it! So get serious!"

"And what if I don't?"

"Sheesh."

"How predictable, General Ivan."

"We've brought reinforcements, sir! Let's go! Open fire~!"

"Oi! Wait! I didn't…!"

"Heh. So be it, fools… Battle Chip, Prism, Yukashita (Below Ground)!"

She formed the Prism Battle Chip as several soldier Navis rushed in and opened fire with Cannons and Vulcans: a hole opened on the ground and she simply jumped inside before it closed: the attacks hit the prism, it glowed, and dispersed them all across the area thus returning them to the Navis who'd shot: chaos ensued along with smoke and Search Man cursed under his breath: a breathing sound rang out next.

"There! Search Grenades!"

He tossed the grenades towards the figure in the middle of the smoke and they exploded: the smoke dispersed and it turned out it was a hologram of Darth Vader: Search Man hissed further and his anger seemed to rise as he saw the wounded soldiers lying around.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"I just came up with this irony. To stir up your hatred and collect it to become stronger…" Iris reappeared.

"I'm SO impressed! Get out already: you had enough, didn't you?"

"Huh? Who's there?" She suddenly began to look around.

"What are you saying? There's no – one else…"

"No! I feel something…! A movement… It's stopped…! Where… Where did it come from? It was so fast, so fleeing…! Something's here… But I can't catch it with my sensors!" She nervously muttered.

"Chance…! Battle Chip, Ice Cannon Ball!"

Search Man took profit of the chance to throw an Ice Cannon Ball at her feet: a mass of ice began to form and trapped her inside: Search Man sighed in relief but, suddenly, a flame thrower was shot against the ice and it quickly shattered: Search Man looked at the direction the attack had come from and it turned out Element Man was there.

"Damn it. No – one's keeping an eye out for intruders!"

"KAKASHARIKA~!" Element Man growled.

"HUH? What was that?" He didn't get any of it.

"MAKAKASHAKIKARASHA~H!"

"Can't you speak normally? Your speech program got broken or what?"

"Good job, Element Man… And if you want to say something…"

"KI!"

"Use the message function!"

"KAKA!"

Iris stepped away from the mass of ice: she gasped and looked around again and so did Element Man and Search Man: Iris suddenly glowed and emitted a ring of yellowish energy that expanded for some meters: a door to a data tunnel formed on her feet and she dropped in followed by Element Man: it self-deleted right away and Search Man cursed as he began to try to analyze the data.

"Damn it. Complete self-deletion… Huh?"

He then spotted how some slight traces began to flow into a spot of the air to vanish: Search Man aimed there.

"Scope Gun!"

He shot but the attack flew past the air until it dispersed out of lack of energy: Search Man frowned and began to shoot at random but his shots met the air: he eventually gave up and lowered the gun.

"What's going on? An annoying woman, an accomplice that can't properly speak, hidden doors, and an intruder that can perfectly hide from the sensors…? This is just so crazy. That of the attack by Shadow Nova was expected but… The Commissioner won't be glad. And even less Laika – sama… Heads will roll across the ground." He grumbled.

"Uh… What the heck happened?" Some of the soldiers began to recover.

"You acted like novices! Punishment! 6 hour duties!"

10:13 AM (Thailand Time)…

"… Will they really come, Red Warrior?"

"Patience, Blue Warrior."

"He has a point, Yellow Warrior."

"I knew that, Green Warrior."

The 4 Warriors (disguised as standard Navis having a different color each) were stalking out the insides of a warehouse filled with crates packed in a chaotic manner: they were using some to hide close to the center where two stone armchairs had been placed: a figured wrapped in a black robe and a heavy hood was sitting in one and seemingly waiting for someone else to come: they seemed to notice something as the door silently opened and Iris came in.

"Surprised, eh, XY? Too bad. I just happened to see Slur coming back from this area… Why would she be in such a worn down Bangkok warehouse, I wondered… And this was the answer… You met here! Alright! You will tell me who you are!" She stepped in at a confident pace and headed for the armchair.

"Fine…" XY's voice rang out as a mere whisper.

"I'll be borrowing this seat. Heh."

"Child… What do you seek in life?"

"Huh? What?"

"What do you seek in life? Why do you live? Is that "revenge" really worth it? Or is it something to fill the void in you, to hide the angst, the fear, the uneasiness, the depression, the despair?"

"W-well…"

"Child. Think it better. Nothing good is born from revenge. It is but a tragedy, it is but cruelty. Yet again… No – one is perfect."

"Not even you?"

"Of course not. Child."

"You must be some gramps. I've never heard anyone calling the opponent "child". It feels so old-fashioned."

"It is a fact. You are yet a child."

"You're starting to annoy me, you know."

"Why? I merely told the facts."

"Why, you…!"

She violently stood up and grabbed the figure's neck with both hands: the body lifted and the hood fell to reveal a mannequin's head with a speaker set on the face: she gasped but then got quickly surrounded by the 4 Warriors who drew a Battle Chip of their respective elements: Iris hissed and looked around.

"Who the hell are you? Golden Star's pawns?"

"Hell's Burner!"

"Elec Pulse!"

"Bubble Spread!"

"Forest Bomb!"

"Kyah! Gyah!"

All attacks met their mark and inflicted some damage to Iris since she hadn't had time to shield herself: she panted and looked around while grimacing: she then lifted her arms and "Kuriboh" sprites began to form around and fill the zone at an alarming rate: she tried to run for the exit but got repelled by something invisible and thrust to the ground: she hissed and stood up to ram with the left shoulder but didn't fare better.

"What! An invisible shield surrounding the whole of the building from the inside and the outside…! I stepped into a trap! The Kuriboh should keep those guys busy but…! Golden Star…! They're asking for it…! I'll make them regret that…! Giga Cannon!"

She tried shooting the Giga Cannon but the energy got absorbed and seemingly vented off towards the outside: Iris gasped and tried a Drill Arm next but quickly broke away: she then commanded for the "Kuriboh" units to ram into the invisible field all at once: the continuous explosions began to slowly overload the capacity of the field.

"Another little bit…!"

The field began to turn visible and cracks formed: Iris plunged a Long Sword into one of them and broke through but there still was the field covering the outside of the warehouse: she cursed and saw how the field turned into a deeper shade of purple and her attacks by the "Kuribohs" didn't seem to be taking effect this time around.

"Shit. It's being calibrated in live. This XY guy doesn't waste the time! What can I do…? Those guys don't look like idiots who'd shoot at the field by accident…"

"We can hear you!" Yellow Warrior grumbled.

"Calm down!" Blue Warrior sighed.

"Patience is the key!" Green Warrior insisted.

"Is there no end?" Red Warrior cursed.

"… Gotcha!"

Iris suddenly warped behind Red Warrior and grabbed him from behind: she warped away to the entrance and quickly tossed him head-on towards the field: Red Warrior roared as electricity surged out from the field and Iris tackled him from behind: more electricity began to surge out and the field weakened to then shatter: Red Warrior collapsed on the ground outside while Iris rushed out: the other 3 suddenly warped in front of her and cut off the path.

"Rabbit Ring!"

"Kogarashi!"

"Aqua Tower!"

Iris hissed and used her "Dark Aura" to block the attacks: she then looked around trying to come up with something.

"We jammed the area. You cannot summon proxies anymore." Yellow Warrior told her.

"It would be better to stop this nonsense." Green Warrior added.

"We can talk this out." Blue Warrior insisted.

"Hmpf! I see. You must be XY's pawns."

"And what if? Knowing that will lead you to further strength and to victory, child?" Blue Warrior countered.

"Don't call me a "child"! I've got a mental age of 17!"

"You are still a child."

"Talk by yourself! Your bodies seem to be set at your 20s! You're not that old!"

"The body may look young but our minds are mature." Red Warrior showed up behind her, having recovered.

"Heck. Already recovered…!"

"Huh? Incoming attack!" Green Warrior gasped.

They all warped to avoid a tsunami that was looming over the zone: Iris warped higher into the air as well while the wave hit the ground and swept the zone: she spotted the 4 Warriors facing Element Man.

"Good! Element Man! Show them a nightmare!"

Element Man nodded and began to form tornadoes while on his non-elemental mode: he switched to Elec Mode and made some thunderbolt fall towards Blue Warrior but he simply formed a Lightning Rod and nullified the attack: Element Man gasped and quickly switched to non-elemental mode as a Forest Bomb hit him from behind: he turned to face Green Warrior and became Fire Mode to shoot the flamethrower: Green Warrior merely used a Barrier to block it off.

"This is…!"

Element Man had to switch back to non-elemental mode again to avoid double damage by a Bubble Spread: he switched to Aqua Mode and used his attack yet Red Warrior turned on the Iron Body Battle Chip: Element Man switched out of it to avoid an Elec Pulse by Yellow Warrior: he turned on the Wood Mode and formed a Woody Tower yet he had to switch out because Red Warrior attacked with a Heat Spread.

"Sheesh. It's too risky: he can get attacked by the guy with the element that beats his current element…" Iris muttered.

She drew a Long Sword and tried to thrust into the air: she got nervous and began to swipe it around like mad, hoping to hit something.

"This sensation again! XY in person, maybe?" She wondered.

She formed the Prism Battle Chip and shot a Mega Cannon at it: the attack got absorbed by the Prism and then split into countless mini-attacks that began to rain down around the area: yet none hit anything and only formed some wounds on the floor: Iris ran forward before turning and shooting a Super Vulcan yet she didn't hit anything either.

"This time…! Right behind me…! Too fast! It can predict my moves…! I'm sure they're faster than Gospel's Quick Man!" She muttered.

"PAKAKURA~H!"

Element Man collapsed face-up on the ground, beaten.

"It's 4 on 1 and those guys look like they know their stuff. But, wait… The jamming's gotten weaker: those guys are the source! Chance… Come! Ultimate Blue-Eyes Dragon! Burst Stream of Destruction!"

The Ultimate Blue-Eyes Dragon formed and began to load an attack with its three heads: the 4 Warriors didn't stop and began to shoot attacks at it: Iris used the chance to pick Element Man and flee: the Ultimate shot its attack at them but they warped behind it and stabbed the body with their Long Swords: the monster roared and got deleted.

"Ran away… It matters not, my warriors. There will be other chances…"

20:47 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hmmm? What! Over 70 signatures approaching across the sky to the firewall… Boss! We've got company! And not the usual weaklings… They seem to be powerful enemies…"

"Hmmm… Then we shall send out all independent Navis. Napalm Man included: officially he _is_ independent so…"

"Gotcha."

"To all independent Net Navis… Come outside the firewall: we need to fight back an attacker. I repeat."

Zero had been working inside of a large cubical room with many boxes floating around and a central round platform with an armchair and a control panel: data streams came in from some holes on the ground and headed for the boxes: several Program – kuns could be seen operating there and there too: alarms rang out as a map displayed several dots approaching a firewall: he contacted Slur and she gave out orders.

"Boss! I figured out what they are. Blue-Eyes White Dragons."

"That woman, huh? Expected it given what she said to XY's men. Are they little fry?" Slur wasn't surprised.

"Yeah. Max HP is 500 but have no abilities installed. Their attack can deliver 300 points of damage, though. And they only need 3 seconds to fire it and reload to fire another. So they can shoot 20 in 1 minute's time… Better take that speed into account." He detailed.

"Fine."

Zero then opened another screen to see how Dark Man, Freeze Man, Burner Man, Yamato Man, Needle Man, Pharaoh Man, Video Man, Cosmo Man, Napalm Man and Shade Man were already fighting the hordes of dragons.

"Vulcan Arm!"

"Crush Noise!"

"Wind Cutter!"

"Killer's Beam!"

"Ice Tower!"

"Needle Cannon! Messy shooting!"

"Strike Burner!"

"Thousand Spear!"

"Cosmo Gate~!"

"Pharaoh Cube!"

"They keep on coming… I'm trying to trace the origin… There's a VPN tunnel nearby…" Zero reported in the meanwhile.

"Hmmm… Legato. I need to coordinate so you go."

"Roger, Slur – sama."

"Dark Shadow!"

"Napalm Bomb!"

"Icicle Fall!"

"Hra~h!"

"Cosmo Ring!"

"Burning… JET!"

"Playback! Playback!"

"Needle Attack!"

"Red Wing!"

"Max recovery: activate." Slur commanded.

All Navis' emblems glowed and their energies got renewed: they resume the attacking while Legato flew across the tunnel from which the enemies came in an invisible state.

 _Let's see!_

He ended up inside of a large server where there were holographic displays of all kinds of Duel Monsters Cards: the logo "KONAMI" was hovering high in the air: the amount of displays was endless and stretched several hundreds of square meters.

"This is a Konami server! So she's hacked into the Blue-Eyes file and using it as a basis to create the clones… And that means that they must be somewhere around here." Legato muttered.

"More, more and more~!" Judge Man was standing near the Blue-Eyes display and forming the sprites.

"There! It's Judge Man."

"Give them a lesson. But do not delete them. It is pointless because they will escape, anyway." Slur ordered.

"Roger. Dark Neo Variable!"

Legato shot his attack at Judge Man and he was trapped inside of the black tornado: the energy began to attack him and he roared as Legato jumped across the air and hit his chest emblem with the left edge of the Neo Variable Sword: Judge Man growled and tried to push Legato away while trying to bear with the pain of the tornado's attacks: they didn't affect Legato because they were absorbed back into the blade.

"Guo~h! You lowlifes speak so highly and…!"

"This is not hatred or anger. It's a mere flashy attack. That's all there's to it, you moron." Legato drily replied.

"W-what! G-guh…! Go…! Ultimate Blue-Eyes Army!"

A lot of Ultimate Blue Eyes Dragons began to form: Legato cursed as he tried to escape from their attacks which shot in a row and made a mess of the server: Judge Man landed on the ground, clutching his chest emblem.

"Fine! At least we'll destroy this server! And hatred will be born! For us to gather and grow stronger!"

"The Dark Side's a fictional concept, idiot. It doesn't exist."

"It does! We've felt it during our long imprisonment!"

"What you felt was mere grudge and hatred. Which anyone can feel. Stronger than the usual, sure, but not some mystical power." Legato grumbled.

"What would you know about what we felt?"

"Dunno."

"Bind Chain!"

Judge Man formed his electrified chain and shot it at Legato but he merely made his left forearm glow and turn black before he moved it forward and let the chain coil around it: the electricity was then sucked up by the black coating and Judge Man gasped: it then reappeared, colored red, and travelled back the chain: it jumped into Judge Man's body and he growled as he agitated from the attack.

"I reversed the polarity." Legato let out.

"Gruh… Kuh…! Damn you…!" He growled.

"Groa~h!"

"Shit. Forgot about those."

He suddenly found that he was surrounded by 8 of the dragons: Judge Man laughed as they began to shoot 24 attacks at him but he merely ignited some jets on his boots' soils and flew high into the air: the attacks landed where he'd been at and caused an explosion, broke the floor and some smoke formed: Judge Man laughed, apparently thinking he'd won, but Legato dropped behind him and kicked his back: he lost balance (had been standing atop one of the dragon's heads) and fell to the ground: the dragons shot their attacks at him and he roared: Legato didn't lower the guard and Judge Man re-emerged, badly wounded, but still capable of attacking.

"Arrest Book!"

He summoned 2 books with teeth on them that flew at high speed for Legato but he calmly sliced them away: Judge Man got closer and drew a Long Sword which he tried to plunge into his chest emblem but Legato quickly swung the Neo Variable Sword upwards to shatter the Long Sword: Judge Man gasped and Legato formed a Mega Cannon which he shot at close-quarters distance: the blast pushed Judge Man away and worsened his state yet he managed to retain his hover ability.

"Damned runt…! Strange Book! Burner! Punch! Bubble!"

"Bubble Spread! Area Steal! Rabbit Ring!"

"Shit. I'm off! Hra~h!"

Legato easily countered the attacks from his tall book that acted as a shield: he emitted his bright glow and energy ring to escape: Legato growled because the glow caught him off-guard and in mid-air but he recovered: he accessed the files and shut down the access.

"This server will be shut down and reset in 45 seconds." An automated voice announced.

"Do that. That should eliminate the cache data that these things are: and our pals should be done with the ones on the other side of the tunnel too… Let's go back." He muttered.

Legato quickly flew into the tunnel as the shutter got lowered and exited in front of the firewall: the battle had already ended there and the Navis had gone back inside: this end of the tunnel shut as well and it got deleted: Legato sighed in relief.

"Good work, Legato." _Noir_ congratulated him.

Legato headed towards the firewall and a door opened: he crossed it and stepped into a large square-shaped lobby with several side-rooms having Warp Points and protected by security doors: the Golden Star logo was the background and some of the Navis could be seen there and there.

"Looks like the morale is high. As expected. Guess Andy – kun will be coming on Friday. Heh." Legato muttered, grinning.

21:55 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Did you call for me, Mr. Shade?"

"Yes, Kuroshiro – kun. Have a seat."

"Thank you, sir."

Kanou had summoned _Noir_ to his office: since he'd lowered the hood today, it could be seen that he had blonde hair and blue eye irises.

His face looked a lot like that of Kage but was slightly different at the same time.

He sat down in the chair in front of Kanou's desk.

"So. Kuroshiro – kun. I thought I should have a talk with you since it's been a while… Is there anything you need help with?"

"No, sir. Thank you very much, sir. But insofar…" He suddenly trailed off and looked guilty.

"What is it?"

"It's… you know, sir... That incident with that Latvian…"

"Ah. I see. But you did solve it."

"I did solve it but… I still feel guilty for taking so much hours to figure out their location…" He sighed.

"We're not perfect or omnipotent." Kanou calmly reminded him.

"I know, sir… It's just that… I can't avoid feeling guilty for it… And the days after that… You know… That person's behavior…"

"But Prince Kuroban helped solve that, didn't he?"

"Yes, of course. But nevertheless… Some part of me feels guilty… Like I didn't fulfill the most important of my duties… Like I hurt that person on purpose… And it's haunting me from time to time… Because… You know what I mean, right, sir?" He explained with a sigh.

"I know what you mean, yes. When you put it like that then…"

"I know, sir. I'm a miserable man…"

"Oh come on! Kuroshiro – kun! It's not like someone died!"

"Y-yes, sir! You're right, sir, yet… It's always there… On my subconscious… I sometimes feels envious of how Oscar isn't haunted by that… Because he didn't have that "attachment"…" He admitted.

"Atarasei – kun, you mean? Hum. I see. But I suppose you haven't fought each other over that, right?"

"Oh no! Not at all, sir."

"Good. As long as it doesn't evolve into something like that…"

"I understand, sir."

"Don't you have something to distract yourself with? Some movie, some novel, music, games?"

"I have them, of course. And when I do that I can forget that. And when I'm working on classifying the data or handling the payments to the providers and of the buildings… Or coordinating missions involving my department… But it's at the night… Not always, though… From time to time…" Kuroshiro explained.

"I see. Maybe you could talk it with him? You know."

"W-well… I did think of that yet… For some reason… I can't gather the courage to do so… I'm afraid I'll be told it's just that I think too much on it when I shouldn't…"

"That's a prejudice, Kuroshiro – kun. You won't know until you do that. Prejudices don't lead anywhere. Just like polls trying to predict the outcome of the elections: they're to fuel up speculation but have no solid base because a citizen might change their mind from one day to the other… Speculating when something is scheduled to be announced isn't a good idea… Or over-reacting…" Kanou warned him.

"I see, sir…"

"Maybe you need to think of something positive? Like humor."

"Well… Maybe it could do, sir."

"I think it'll do. You just need to think of something positive. I think that "guilt" appears when you feel unsure or nervous. I also have had some similar experiences."

"Is that so, sir?"

"I never said I was perfect. I've also felt guilt over something I did years ago and I think it wasn't the smartest thing to do yet… The alternative wasn't much better either." He sighed.

"I see, sir."

"Well. I think you should do both things: talk with that person about your doubts and worries… And use something to ease your mind so that those don't come to haunt you."

"I understand, sir. Thank you very much."

"It's nothing, Kuroshiro – kun. We started this together."

"I know, sir."

"Speaking of which. Your experiences in the past… Do those trouble you from time to time too?"

"Well… Sometimes, yes. But what I described before shows up more often that my past… I don't want to run away from it because it's the truth but at the same time… I lack enough courage to face it and not be afraid of it… It's not that easy, sir."

"I never said it was, Kuroshiro – kun. Nothing's easy on life. As they say… "Were it so easy"…"

"You're right, sir. Oh well. I'll go check on Leon – kun before going back to my room." Kuroshiro made a weak smile.

"Don't force yourself either. You needn't overwork to prove you're a competent man, Kuroshiro – kun. This is not a corporation and you're not a public figure either. Leave the corporate world to me. You take care of the rest." Kanou encouraged.

"Roger, sir. Good evening, sir."

"Good evening."

Kuroshiro came out and Kanou sighed: he looked slightly concerned as he distractedly toyed with a pen on his right hand.

"… Mademoiselle. You were listening. Right?"

"I am surprised you detected me." Slur became visible behind and to his left all of a sudden.

"I've been around you long enough to realize some things. As much as you stay still and make no sound… There is a slight optical distortion which reveals your presence. That stealth camouflage is not perfect but like I was saying, nothing is."

"Indeed. Nothing is. Such is the truth." She calmly admitted.

"Did you want something?"

"Not really. I just wanted to hear what Kuroshiro had to say."

"I hope you're not pressuring him."

"Of course not. I would gain nothing from that."

"Good. He has his worries and it's to be expected from his past."

"By the way. That which you mentioned… Do you mean that fool?"

"Yes. I had them there, and I could've stopped them… But I let them go because I felt like I had to… Because… Chances were high that I wouldn't have made it back alive hadn't I done so… And I didn't want to stain my hands in blood even if it was that man's one… That wouldn't make me any different from the system I escaped from."

"Hum. When you express like that then… You do have a point."

"I never asked you to agree with me, Mademoiselle. You are free to criticize me, as you know." He sighed.

"I know. But now it is not the time for that."

"Exactly. We must show strength."

"If I could guess… I have a hunch of who will be targeted next by that woman…"

"Young Solo, you mean to say?" Kanou guessed.

"Indeed. He has some fame, after all. And Shadow Nova did target him too. So she knows of him."

"Any luck finding traces?"

"Too many of them, even. This woman has some good ideas: that much I will admit. Instead of trying to erase _all_ traces, she leaves a ton of them, as much as 20 of them… And they eventually die somewhere but they are long and each takes at least 5 minutes to fully explore. Enough time to manipulate the real trace so that it looks like it is a dead end… Or to materialize and use some other system to get back to their hideout wherever it is… Maybe by jumping from Cyber World to real world and then to another router." Slur shrugged and didn't seem to be too concerned over that.

"Similar to Shunoros, right?"

"Yes. I will speak with Kuroban to see if he can contribute with some insight. He must be chasing those too."

"Alright. But we should fuse our results together if we want to get a hold of some pattern." Kanou suggested.

"Yes. Of course. I shall go speak with him tomorrow. I shall be leaving. Good evening."

"Good evening."

Slur transformed into the energy stream and jumped inside of the portal to leave: Kanou sighed and stood up while lowering the laptop's corner: he rubbed his eyes.

 _I need some rest too. We mustn't despair or lose hope. We could overcome the Shadow Nova crisis. We can overcome this as well…!_


	12. Chapter 12: Aloofness

**Chapter 12: Aloofness**

08:18 AM (Thailand Time), Friday February the 2nd…

"… So you were the source of that unique EM wave I felt."

"Yeah."

"So you lured me here."

"Yeah."

"Do you work for XY too?"

"No. I work for myself. I'm alone. I'm the aloofness warrior."

"Ah. So that's why your name is Burai. "Non-relying": you do not rely on other, do not trust others."

"Yeah. You wanted to know my true power, no? I'll show it you here and now. You can run if you want."

"Run! Me! How dare you!"

"Heh."

Burai had been standing atop a building in an Internet City somewhere and looking down at the Navis walking up and down a large avenue, doing shopping or jobs, or stopping to talk with others: Iris showed up behind him and he merely looked over his right shoulder while being unimpressed: he then taunted Iris, who got annoyed, and he formed a grin as he turned around.

"Who will run?"

"Ask Shulk."

"The guy in _Xenoblade_? Sheesh."

"Maybe you need to borrow his sword to see the future?" He suggested.

"Why, you…!"

"Let's go…"

He drew a blade which he grabbed with his right hand: it had a reddish hilt with yellowish ends: the blade had an indentation running across most of its height which began as a thin cone-like form, spread into a circle having a greenish dot in the middle, and ended close to the edge.

The blade was shaped like a trapeze with diagonal sides and had some grade of thickness to it unlike _katana_ or normal swords.

"Fine! Paladin Sword! Hah!"

"Hmpf…"

Iris rushed for Burai but got repelled by his Mu Rejection: she hissed and tried to recover from the crash with it but Burai quickly loaded up energy on his left fist and shot a stream of energy-made knuckles towards Iris: there were too much to block or dodge and some hit her while Burai quickly closed in and delivered an uppercut with the left fist to her jaw: Iris recoiled and tried shooting a Mega Cannon but Burai's body merely glowed in several colors for an instant as his image seemed to distort and the blast went through his body: Burai returned to normal and swung the blade in three swift attacks that sliced both the Mega Cannon and the Paladin Sword into pieces and formed a wound across Iris' bodysuit from the left shoulder to the right hip: it began to slowly heal by absorbing data of the very ground and she warped to another rooftop: she tried throwing an Earthquake Battle Chip but Burai did that effect again and the Virus didn't hit him: he warped and appeared right next to Iris who only had time to try to block with a Barrier but Burai easily shattered it and delivered another rush of sword slashes: Iris warped away, panting, and cursed under her breath.

"Well?" Burai challenged.

"Hell! What was that? Your body changed?" She cursed.

"Who knows?"

"Sheesh!"

"If you want to run then you can do that here and now." Burai taunted next with a sneer.

"You damned man!"

"Charmed." He drily replied.

"Shit! Giga Cannon!"

"Hmpf."

The Mu Rejection formed again and the blast was repelled back at the source: Iris gasped and used a _kawarimi_ to escape the attack: it hit the _kawarimi_ and blew it up into pieces: before she could recover, though, Burai appeared right in front of her noses and delivered an upper-kick with the right leg at her jaw that sent her away: she landed on the ground and Burai dropped into the ground while making the blade hit the ground: a powerful purple-colored energy shockwave sprouted right in front of her like a geyser: Iris tried to shield with the arms and got some damage nevertheless: hissing, she stepped back.

"So?"

"Kuh…! Guh…! T-too strong…!"

"Of course."

"Huh? Now I realize…! You're not a Navi! You use the same technology as Shunoros!"

"Slow to catch up, aren't you? Thought you already knew by looking at your former buddies' files."

"Sheesh. That Void idiot wouldn't let me see them and I still wasn't ready to cut ties with them by then! Only after you busted the guy I was able to finally cut ties with the idiots!"

"Hmpf." Burai shrugged.

"What's with that attitude?"

"Nothing. Ask Uncle Moran."

"Guh… Sh…! Grah! Full recovery: on! Dream Sword!"

"Hmpf. Useless!"

Iris recovered and flung a Dream Sword at Burai but he swung his sword in an arch horizontally as the Dream Sword closed in to slice it in two and have it collapse into itself: he warped and delivered his usual 3-combo slash to Iris again and she jumped away, cursing.

"What the hell!"

"Hmpf. This is my full power…"

"Shit. I thought you'd get confident and toy around!"

"I'm not an _amateur_ unlike the Shunoros guys. I've trained for over 10 years."

"WHA?" She gasped.

"So you now realize I'm strong."

"Grrr…!"

"Want more of this? I've got more in store."

"Why, you…!"

Iris got annoyed and rushed for Burai while forming the Elemental Sword: she madly swung the blade four times but Burai had no problem in placing the sword in the right position to block each of the incoming attacks without making too much effort: Iris tried to shoot a Giga Cannon at close quarters but Burai quickly cut it up into three pieces: the energy that was accumulating there imploded and pushed both of them apart a few meters: Burai wasn't injured thanks to his Mu Rejection while Iris got some burnt marks: she panted.

"That barrier is unfair!" She hissed.

"It isn't. It's the proof. The Aloofness Proof. I've been trained to handle on my own without having to rely on others."

"Sheesh. And you like beating up those weaker than you. Bully."

"Nice attempt. It's typical of those who think they're the strongest…"

"I'm getting REALLY annoyed! I'm going to explode!"

"Hmpf. I only need to call the police's bomb disposal squad."

"What the hell's your goal?"

"My goal? Dunno. Don't need any. I just roam around. But I don't like chaos so… And those who don't fight fair."

"All's fair in revenge!"

"That's so overused… It's pointless. Well. Going to run or do you need some more beating up?"

"Kuh…! I'll remember this!"

Iris formed the glow and the energy ring to escape: Burai shrugged and then looked at a nearby chimney.

"Serenade. You were looking, huh?"

"Indeed. I happened to feel the wave you emitted." Serenade calmly walked out from behind the chimney.

"What's your take?"

"If we could remove that anger and such from her… She would be a very capable Navi. But hatred clouds her heart and stops her from rationally thinking." Serenade sighed.

"You mean that you'd do something like you did with Forte."

"In essence. That is my way of doing things. What would you do?"

"Meh. I had enough with teaching her not to mess with me."

"Fair enough, Burai… Well then. I shall be leaving. We shall meet again."

"Sure…"

Serenade dropped into the alley to the right and mingled with the crowds while Burai resumed looking at the city.

 _Maybe they're hiding on this very city. I better start investigating a bit: chances are I'll find nothing but… You never know. The enemy sometimes is closer than what you think… I needed some thrill. Heh, heh, heh…_

09:14 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh."

"What's with the mood, Netto – kun?"

"It's the mood season!"

"Huh? Oh come on."

"Right, Oriol?"

"Of course not."

Netto (wearing his casual clothes but using slippers instead of shoes) was sitting on a chair inside of a room next to Kuroshiro as they played _Mario Kart Wii_.

Kuroshiro wore a black wool jumper, jeans, white socks and had a couple of brown slippers on.

The room was a wide window-less room that had a table with some chairs around it, a drawer set with an LCD TV atop it and a large king-sized bed on the north wall: the table was SE of it and in front of the door while the drawer set ahead of the bed: both were sitting in front of the TV as they played.

There was a door set on the west wall near the north wall that had a banner saying "TOILETS & SHOWERS": the rest of the walls were unadorned and unpainted so it felt very sparse.

"So… Did you find anything yet?" Netto asked.

"We found traces of her having been to the Science Labs several times. I think she's trying to find Rock Man…"

"No wonder. Did you set up some ambush there?" Netto wasn't surprised.

"Yeah. Tom volunteered and has been keeping watch but hasn't shown up for 3 days in a row. Maybe she's realized we were going to find the traces and expect her there so she's stopped coming. Or she comes through the real world instead."

"Could be, too."

"But she won't find the info so easily… Right?"

"We did have a talk with Papa to tell him to watch out where he stores the info so he doesn't have any of that on the Science Labs or at home either. So there's no danger there." Netto calmly replied.

"Good."

"By the way, Oriol…"

"What, Netto – kun?"

"… "Hi there! I'm Mr. Good!"… "How scary! It's Mr. Good! Run for it!"…"

"Alfred and his ridiculous statements…"

"But they don't beat M&F to it! Especially when it comes to the reason why F is M's boss!"

"I know." Kuroshiro rolled his eyes.

"Both saw the same job advert: assistant and boss wanted! Both wanted to be the boss and they collided head-on while heading for the company's address! They fought along the stairs and in the office! And F won because he had a cudgel! So he became the Boss!" Netto laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. While you're chatting, Netto – kun, I got 3 posts ahead of you and I'm 3rd."

"Geh! I'm 7th! Need an item to turn the tables!"

"Oho. Golden Mushroom! Max turbo~!"

"I only get a banana! Fine! I toss it at that guy closing in from behind… And I got a mushroom next! I'll use the shortcut…! There! I'm 5th now! And it's the final lap already!" Netto nervously muttered as he played.

"Heh, heh." Kuroshiro grinned.

"Oi, Oriol! What's with the mood?"

"Reversal of roles, I guess!"

"Sheesh."

"I got 2nd, somehow. The guy in front of me failed to properly do the shortcut… But the 1st is pretty far away…"

"Alright! 3 green shells! I smacked one into the guy in front of me and I'm 4th…! But there's still a big distance gap between you and me!"

"Invoke Distance Man."

"How funny." Netto drily muttered.

"I got a 3 mushroom set! Full turbo!"

"Heck! The guy in front of me has 3 bananas and I can't shoot my green shells."

"Shell Man He Who Lives In Thee Shell." Kuroshiro made up some lame rhyme all of a sudden.

"Talk about original." Netto wasn't impressed.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Kuroshiro giggled.

"I know! Heck! I need something to turn the tables! Yeah! The thunder! Eat thunder!"

"Oho. But I got a star and I'm using it so I'm unaffected!"

"I don't care! I can get past the guy in front and I'm now 3rd! Another little bit and I'll catch up with you!"

"I passed the guy in the very front and I'm 1st. I predict victory in the next 50 seconds!"

"Crap! I missed the item because I didn't properly turn the curve!"

"30 seconds to victory! I got the final item! It's a star! I'm faster! So I expect victory in less than 20 seconds now!"

"Oh come on! I only got a coin!"

"The guy behind me only has a banana… So it's not a danger… Huh? Crap! A blue shell's coming for me…! But I'm only 5 seconds away!"

"At last! A Golden Mushroom! Go, go~! I see the guy in front of me: I need to get past him and…!"

"Goal! The blue shell was a couple seconds too late!"

"Oh heck! At least…! Wha! They shot me a red shell from behind! No, wait…! Oh no! 2 of them got past me and I'm back to 5th…! Before another one gets past me… Goal…" Netto groaned.

"Heh, heh, heh. The others were wise enough to save up the best item for the final stretch." Kuroshiro grinned.

"Huff. Today isn't my day."

"Cheer up! It's just a race out of many we've played! You never know what can happen when you play with online players!"

"I know…"

"So? How's the school going like?"

"Hard, of course. But I'm managing it. Yaito is behaving insofar: guess her dad's putting pressure there."

"Good."

"What about you, Oriol? Any trouble onboard?"

"Not really. Just…"

"Just?"

"Well. I sometimes feel I like… I have failed to obey my number one duty…" He trailed off.

"Number one duty…?" Netto frowned.

"To protect you from harm…"

"I see. But we're not perfect, Oriol. And thanks to Prince Kuroban I realized it was unfair of me to scold you for what happened some time ago with that Latvian… You did what you could." Netto sighed.

"Netto – kun, I…"

"Don't get depressed, Oriol! Cheer up!"

"… Thank you." He formed a weak smile.

"Oh yeah! I just remembered something. The best weapon against "ugly things" is to make them face a mirror! Instant KO!" Netto laughed.

"I know." He rolled his eyes.

"Guess Saito – niisan and Legato are still on the shower. When they're done then let's go have some fun. Let's make it raw today. Fair enough, Oriol – chan?"

"Oh come on. Netto – kun. Let's not start the Nickname War." Kuroshiro laughed.

"Heh, heh! I'm sneaky. Like Sneaky Snake of Snakes."

"Too long…"

"Alright! Let's summon BIG SARU! He'll surely sneak into those guys from behind and play with them… Or will trigger "friendly-fire"! By requesting a shooting into the area! And then the soldiers think it's the enemy when it's their pals!" Netto laughed.

"I know. Or how he blows up their food storehouses with TNT and then the soldiers go complaining about how they're hungry… And thus they lower the guard and don't pay enough attention… I like it when he shoots a soldier with the Mark 22 and then it faints when facing Snake: the trick is that the player has completely timed when the dart will take effect!"

"Heh, heh! Anyway. Let's watch some old Conan episodes to kill the time until they free the shower room. My _Danna_."

"Oh come on. Netto – kun. That joke's running old by now, isn't it?"

"Nope! It's walking new! Heh, heh!" Netto chuckled.

"You and your humor sense… A Long Sword from the nose!"

"A Geyser from the eyes!"

Both laughed at their mutual jokes…

09:23 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Yeah… Like that, Legato… Ah…! I missed this feeling…!"

"Heh, heh. Looks like you're in the mood, Saito – kun…"

"How couldn't I? Your cock feels SO good…!"

"Heh, heh. And your voice is as lovely as ever."

"Sure…"

"How about this?"

"Yeah… More! Rub them more!"

"Heh, heh. Maybe you'll beat a record today?"

"Maybe! Heh, heh."

Saito and Legato (who'd taken off all of his armor to reveal that he had red and golden eyes irises and that his silver hair began at his head indeed) were having sex inside of a shower room similar to that in a gym: Saito was riding on Legato's big and thick cock as Legato toyed with his nipples from behind: steam filled the room and there was one of the showers working.

"By the way. I see you brought Raito – kun to play _Smash Bros._ with Leon… Right?" Legato brought up.

"Sure. We got his father's permission so…"

"And you let him in the "secret"?"

"We felt like we couldn't lie forever to him, our cousin. And that improves the trust between each other. He did have the courage to tell us about what he'd gone through so…" Saito sighed.

"Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have brought that up?" Legato stopped and looked repented.

"Oh no. Don't worry, Legato. It's reality."

"If you say so…"

"Yeah. I insist: you needn't feel guilty about that, Legato. I know! "I'll envoy an envoy of envoys!"…"Excuse me~?"…"

"Heh. Alfred and his tongue-twisters…" Legato got in the mood again and chuckled.

"See? Now let's resume. Thrust it harder, man."

"Alright!"

Legato resumed thrusting his cock into Saito's ass and he moaned from the feeling: Legato also kept on rubbing his nipples to further excite him and Saito was rubbing his cock with the right hand while he gripped his balls with the left one: he quickly released and felt how Legato's cock tightened inside of him and filled him up as well: both panted for a few seconds and chuckled or giggled.

"As intense as ever… But I think we should leave it at here for today: Netto – kun and Oriol must be waiting for us to finish."

"You're right. Let's continue in your bedroom."

"Sure…"

They stopped the shower and picked nearby towels to dry before wrapping them around the waist and walking out into a corridor: there was a door labelled "RESTROOMS" in front of them and another two doors to the left and the right: Legato headed for the left one while Saito knocked on the right one.

"Hey. Shower's free." He called out.

"OK! Thank you!" Netto replied.

"See you later." Kuroshiro added.

"Sure."

Saito headed left into another bedroom very similar to that of Kuroshiro: Legato was already waiting on the left side of the bed so Saito shut the door and climbed into the right side: Legato hugged him from the front and began a kiss with Saito: he replied and kept on with the kiss.

 _Heh, heh, heh… Ah! This is life._ Saito inwardly giggled.

They stopped kissing and Legato turned to face away from Saito: he got the message and hardened his cock to stuff it inside of Legato: he closed his arms around Legato's waist and began to move: Legato chuckled and hummed a tune.

"I missed this feeling."

"I missed it too. Some raw from time to time is good too. I guess I'm too much of a masochist…" Saito grinned.

"But that isn't necessarily bad, Saito – kun."

"Oh no. I know it isn't. Everyone is like they are. Like Oscar, who likes to hang with Enzan."

"Heh. Sure. The guy's pretty hot, too. I remember he once came eager for some fun and played with Oriol – sama."

"Or when we brought Hikawa – kun and Obihiro – kun here to make them play with us…" Saito giggled.

"Oh yeah." Legato laughed.

"By the way… I supposed no – one's realized, right?"

"I don't think so. Hardly anyone knows that these rooms are linked together. They think they are like the other rooms. What it's generally established is that the reason Oriol – sama wears the monk robe is to create suspense… and to not to make it obvious…"

"Obvious?"

"I think Ikada was the one who thought of it… That Kage and Oriol – sama are brothers and to avoid being told it was favoritism they both act like they weren't related…"

"Well. As long as they think that…" Saito shrugged.

"Yeah. It works as a good smokescreen. And we didn't start it so it has credibility." Legato grinned.

"Good… How is it?"

"OK! Going off!"

"Yeah! Good! Whoa!"

Saito released after Legato released and gasped when he felt how his cock was gripped by the muscles: he let out a sigh of pleasure and began to lick Legato's back behind the shoulders: Legato chuckled.

"It tickles."

"I'm Tickling Guy." Saito laughed at his nickname.

"Sure thing. My cute husband."

"Heh. I know we pretend we're a gay marriage… But it feels too formal and all so I think it's better to be informal… That is, that we're lovers… Right?" Saito shrugged.

"Of course. It feels more exciting: a forbidden love… A love we must keep a secret…" Legato grinned.

"Oh yeah. I remembered something… A hidden joke in _The Last Story_ … If you go outside the inn towards the start of the game and get into the very narrow alley to the right of it… You can see the small window of the men's bathroom… And Quark and Jackal are there with Yuris enjoying a bath… Jackal says Quark's stuff is surprisingly small, his is big but Yuris' is surprisingly bigger than his!"

"Sure. A little hidden joke to break the cliché of trying to peek into the women's bathroom…" Legato chuckled.

"I know. It was a pretty good game. There were so many jokes there and there… Intense action… But also serious stuff… And to top it off… A Ganondorf cousin. Or maybe it was a cousin of the Shuuen no Mono from _Zelda Skyward Sword_."

"I know. Maybe each other's staff influenced each other? Or maybe it was coincidence? Who knows? Maybe both used Ganondorf as source!"

"Heh, heh! Oh well. Hug me and warm me up."

"Sure."

Legato turned to face Saito and hugged him as well while pulling the covers up to their necks: they leant their heads on the pillows and stared at each other while grinning.

"The more I look at you the cuter you become."

"Heh. Thanks for the compliments. You're such a handsome. No wonder: I guess Blues must be pretty handsome beneath the helmet too. Guess he's supposed to appeal as strong and mature: at last that's the impression I got on our first encounter. And _tsundere_."

"Yeah. _Ani-ue-sama_ is pretty much _tsundere_. Maybe Enzan takes after him or they influence each other to begin with. He could live without so much pride… But let's discuss that another day. Let's have a 1 hour rest and then we'll go play in the VR simulator. Zero added another patch of terrain and a couple missions along with Cosmo Man, Shade Man and Dark Man. The idea of building up an "open world" where both Navis and Operators can have fun is so brilliant." Legato suggested.

"Sure. Let's play paint-ball again. I like the thrill that comes with trying to catch the other with the guard down."

"Heh. Maybe we could include GRU soldiers from _MGS3_ and toy around with them… Like BIG SARU does… The guy's so good at _MGS3_ : it's obvious it's his favorite game… And he's a master of it: always coming up with something new and crazy…"

"I know. Oh well. Set an alarm to ring in an hour's time. I feel sleepy after using so much energy in playing with you." Saito yawned.

"OK. _Darling_."

"Heh. You like surprise attacks, eh? But I won't lose next time!"

"That's the spirit, my cutie Saito – kun!"

"And that's my handsome Legato!"

They laughed as they fell asleep in that same pose of hugging each other…

11:28 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Are they closing in, _senpai_?"

"Feels like it… But there's still the west…"

"Should we move?"

"Guess so. Before they cut off that route. Follow me, Raito – kun."

"Alright."

Raito and Leon were hiding inside of some bushes in a jungle-like environment while wearing face paint and camouflage clothing: they had ball-paint guns ready and were whispering amongst themselves: Leon began to move west followed by Raito and they walked close to the ground to try to expose as little as possible.

"Horra~h! It's a shower of paint!"

"Not fair!"

"Bring it on!"

"Napalm Man, Burner Man and Needle Man…" Leon deduced from the voices.

"Looks like they stumbled upon each other."

"Chance. The scandal will attract other players…"

"Roger!"

They sped up their pace and headed down a hill towards another section of the jungle: they then laid face-down on the ground between some knee-high grass and looked on through the openings at a small valley below them: two figures could be seen openly running across towards the east and they were soon out of sight.

"Hum. Those were Video Man and Tozukana – san."

"Odd pairing, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Let's stay put just in case: they might lurk close by."

"Roger."

"… Gotcha! Lily of Lilycove!"

"Oh heck."

"Hum. I did have the impression we were going too fast."

"My bad, Dark Man. I think I lowered the guard."

"It doesn't matter… We did score some points by finding Tom and Shade Man…"

"Talk about further odd pairings. Guess they want to try something new today." Leon muttered.

"So it'd seem…"

"Wha! They got us from the left! Who's there?"

"… Me."

"Sheesh. It had to be cha! Next time I won't lose!"

"Qong – san… Looks like he didn't try to form a team. Must've thought he worked better alone."

"Is there anyone who hasn't scored yet?" Tozukana asked.

"Looking at the ranking… The Leon – Raito team doesn't seem to have scored yet." Lily replied.

"Leon – chan, eh?" Tozukana grinned.

"Ahem, ahem. I hope that…" Dark Man began.

"I know my place! I don't wanna annoy VP _Noir_!"

"A warning is a warning, Miss."

"I know that. Huff. Anyway. I'm sure they must be careful… Who's the team with most score, anyway?"

"Highest score is for Napalm Man, who's playing alone. Looks like he's so hyperactive he's stumbled upon almost everyone."

"But hasn't faced ME yet! Heh! Get ready, Napalm Man! I'm so gonna rob ya of the crown! Nyah, hah, hah!"

Tozukana ran off towards the west and Dark Man sighed as he flew there, following her: the others dispersed to the east and to the south while Leon and Raito slowly pulled away to the north, from where they'd come from: they heard footsteps and hid as Napalm Man ran down the hill towards the south.

"Oh yeah! Looks like a lot of players are there~! I'm gonna score further and be the day's winner! No need for Bacterio's odd stuff! Nyah, hah, hah, hah!" He laughed aloud.

He ran past them and was soon out of sight: the sound of the paint-guns rang out soon enough along with yells and laughter: Leon and Raito ignored those and got back to the area they'd been before: there they spotted Freeze Man and Cosmo Man glancing around.

"Looks like most of the activity is to the west. Napalm Man keeps on being number one in the ranking." Cosmo Man told him.

"Hmmm… But there's one team that hasn't been discovered yet. I'd say we try south. They might far away from most of the groups."

"Alright."

Both rushed towards there while Leon and Raito smiled: they continued their trek towards the east: they ended up next to a river with a wooden bridge crossing it: Leon drew a couple of binoculars and began to look at the other shore.

"I don't see anyone but… The bridge is risky. Maybe there's a spot further upstream where the river's shallower and we can cross without needing a bridge and under cover from the trees." Leon suggested.

"Yes, that sounds logical."

"Huh? Ah! I spotted Victor's head for a second. And looking at the list it shows that he's recently joined and hasn't scored yet either. Maybe we can risk it… Let's go!"

"OK!"

Both quickly shot at the opposite shore and two gasps rang out: they quickly ran off north while climbing up the steep hill: they hid in the middle of some bushes as they looked at where they'd been: Agoras and Victor had crossed the bridge and were rushing south.

"Agoras – san's here too… Let's hope he doesn't stop to study the terrain in detail…"

"He looked up to Sherlock Holmes and how he was able to figure out what happened in a scene by studying the footprints, right?"

"Exactly."

"Less than 7 minutes until the game finishes… Anything can happen so we should put further distance." Raito suggested.

"Of course. Let's go."

They silently moved further north and stumbled upon a tall waterfall: Leon spotted that there was a cave behind it so they stepped inside: they found a cardboard box with the text "BIG SARU" written on the left side using red coloring: Leon frowned and Raito looked surprised.

"Big monkey?" They both wondered.

"I don't know." Raito muttered.

"I don't, either. Maybe it's some joke. Let's ignore it and try to find if we can hide somewhere." Leon shrugged.

"Look, _senpai_! There are some small cavities… They seem to be a bit deep and are hard to spot from the entrance… We could hide there and launch surprise attacks from there, no?" Raito spotted.

"Good idea. I think that it's possible that Agoras – san will eventually try to come up here… Or someone else might."

They hid in a different cavity each and silently began to wait: the only sounds were that of water drops inside of the cave and the roar of the waterfall and the river.

"… A cave? Huh? What's this?"

"Some joke, I guess?"

The duo of Cosmo Man and Freeze Man had come in and had stopped to look at the box, surprised: they shrugged and began to look around but seemed to guess there was no-one so they left: Leon sighed in relief.

"Phew. That was close." He muttered.

"Yes, it was. It was wise not to attack… 4 minutes left."

They heard fighting outside and someone running over the river to cross it from west to east: the sounds soon died down.

"They stumbled into some team… Agoras – san's team, judging by the ranking… Insofar… All teams have scored." He read the holographic screen with the ranking.

The box suddenly rattled and Naked Snake showed up from there.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" He said to no – one in particular.

He suddenly formed a cap shaped like a crocodile's head and a torch before rushing out of the cave: Leon and Raito frowned.

"Wasn't that Solid Snake from Smash. Bros?" Raito recalled.

"He looked slightly different. Maybe it's a brother?" Leon wondered.

"Less than 2 minutes left."

"Good. We will be the only team that hasn't been found by another!"

"We make a nice combination, don't we? _Senpai_?"

"Of course, Raito – kun. Our tag-match is one of the strongest!"

"So… Qong – san's 2nd place and Burner Man team 3rd place… Less than 1 minute left… It's our victory, right?" Raito grinned.

"Yeah. We won this match. Heh, heh! Today was fun."

Both smiled at each other and giggled under their breaths…


	13. Chapter 13: Missions

**Chapter 13: Missions**

04:56 AM (Japan Time), Saturday February the 3rd…

"… This is I-B, this I-B."

"I copy."

"I'm in position."

"Good. T-J: are you in position too?"

"Roger that."

"F-Q! Report position."

"… Position secured…"

"Good. S and L: stand by."

"Roger."

"Remember: you must operate as established. The hostage's life is at stake…"

"Acknowledged."

A figured dressed in black sports trousers, black sports jumper, black bike gloves, a black scarf, balaclava and IR goggles was lurking close to a 4-story apartment building somewhere in a city: they were speaking through a radio inside of the balaclava in a very hushed tone of voice.

"Good. Maintain radio silence. I-B. Move it." A voice ordered.

"Roger."

The figure began to crawl towards the apartment as some nearby street lights stopped functioning thus darkening the street: they then stood up almost below the 1st floor's rear balcony edge and drew a rope stair with a hook to catch it somewhere: they swung the rope with the hook and threw it towards the balcony railing: it got stuck in one of the railings and the figure tugged the stair to make sure it wouldn't come off: they then swiftly climbed up and retrieved the stair.

"So good so far." They muttered.

They then headed for an apartment's living room window: the curtain was slightly opened revealing an empty living room: the figure silently opened the balcony door, stepped in, and closed it before crossing across the unfurnished apartment in total silence and exiting into the front from the apartment's door: they silently climbed up the external frontal stairs in total blackness since the nearby lights weren't working: they stopped in the 4th floor and headed for the furthest left door: the name banner read "Nijie Risi": the figure took out a small flashlight and discreetly aimed it at a nearby building's darkened and opened window: they made three short flashes before storing the flashlight: the figure then took a toolkit from an attached pouch and silently forced the lock open: they calmly store the tools and emitted another set of signals, a bit longer this time: the figure then slowly opened the door and stepped in as soon as it was wide enough for them to step in: the figure closed the door behind and silently began to look around the entrance hall.

 _A couple of slippers… I better not open the cupboard: there could be something, some security system… Insofar there are no heat signatures in the whole of the entrance… Let's try the living room._

The figure took out their sneakers and remained with their thick black sports socks: they slowly stepped into the wooden floor and made sure to take their time making each footstep to ensure they didn't make any footstep noise: they walked down the corridor and stopped in front of the living room door: the figure drew a Beretta gun with a silencer and slowly opened the door by a slight crack to peek inside: the room was pitch-black because the curtains were shut.

 _No heat signature either. Nothing's close to me. Even they emit a distinctive heat signature. They cannot hide that signature._

The figure shut the door and tiptoed towards the nearby bedroom: they peeked in and found nothing either: they then tried the kitchen and the bathroom respectively but there was nothing: the figure returned to the living room and opened the door a bit further: they then noticed a box-shaped object glowing due to fluorescent painting.

"There is no trace of the hostage. Yet there is a fluorescent box. What should I do?" They whispered over the radio.

"Hmmm… Risky. S. You do it."

"Roger."

A Navi warped next to the figure while cloaked in a black robe with a hood: they nodded to the first person and then slowly stepped into the living room to stop in front of the box.

"Looks like a metallic attaché case covered in paint. I can't pick any heat signatures from inside and there's no explosive chemical either. No electronics either."

"It could be something old-fashioned too. Use a Dream Aura."

"Roger."

The Navi engaged a Dream Aura as they crouched in front of the case: they slowly released the locks and slowly opened it as if expecting something to happen: nothing happened.

"There's an external USB hard disk here. It's a 1 TB model."

"Hmmm… We shall need to check the contents. In the meanwhile… All other units: did you spot anything unusual?"

"Nothing."

"Hmmm… We better do that in one of the safety chambers. Search the rest of the flat just in case. Unit L, retrieve that."

"Roger."

Another Navi warped in and retrieved the case while the remaining duo split and began to methodically search all other rooms down to every nook and cranny.

"There's nothing. Looks like it's been empty for some days given the level of built-up dust. Maybe this whole apartment's a red herring."

"I expected the possibility. Fine. Enough stealth. Ikada, Sandra. Pull out."

"Roger."

The Navi lowered the hood to reveal Sandra's face and nodded at the human intruder, who was Ikada: both silently pulled out of the apartment and simply exited through the ground level entrance: they climbed into a nearby stopped black van: Tozukana and Qong were sitting on the rear seats and ignoring each other: Ikada took out the IR googles and the balaclava and sighed in relief.

"Phew. That was tense." She muttered.

"Sure. There could've been a trap at any corner."

"Huff. I only got to watch over the front entrance to see if anyone else came in or out." Tozukana fumed.

"… I got… rear." Qong dully muttered.

"Enough complaining." Slur commanded from the driver's seat as she glanced at them through the rearview mirror.

"R-roger." Tozukana gulped.

"Lily. Did you deliver the USB memory to Zero?"

"Affirmative."

"Good. We will be heading there. Zero. Start analysis: send the data to one of the safe rooms."

"I'm on it, Boss. Looks like it's a bunch of PDF files… They all are some tens of MBs… The total space is about half a Gigabyte…"

"Talk about a waste of space." Sandra muttered.

"There could be hidden files or folders." Slur warned.

"I'm scanning for those, obviously enough. But there's nothing insofar: maybe the size of the disk was chosen to make us think that and force us to waste time going over every bit and byte." Zero suggested.

"That could be too. That woman could be trying to play smart like they have done with this apartment and the tip-off."

"I'm running a security scan on each PDF… They seem to have a digital firm of the Harvard College…" Zero reported live.

"Harvard!" Tozukana whistled in surprise.

"Try opening one."

"Roger. Opening… Nothing odd's happened. Huh? Looks like a thesis on bug infections on Navis and how some are modelled after real-world parasites and bacteria… And it's signed by Meddy. So I guess these are the stolen research files needed to heal Colonel's infection. It's like she wanted us to find them, no?"

"Maybe she thinks that by healing him and having granted him suffering already she will make the man step into a trap where further agony and suffering are waiting… Fine. Let us pretend we play along to that woman's tune. Deliver those to the Net Police and they will deliver them to those fools." Slur decided with a shrug.

"OK, Boss. Once I finish scanning it all I'll compress it and send it to Obihiro and Meijin so that they check it again."

"We are on our way there. I shall speak with President Hades about the results later on the morning."

"Roger, Boss."

"You guys can go sleep: and do not start worthless brawls. Or there shall be… punishment." Slur glanced at the backseats occupants.

"R-roger!" Tozukana and Ikada gulped.

"Same for you, Sandra and Lily. I have warned you!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

"Fine. Hmpf. Foolish woman. I do not care if you kill each other or what happens in the end… Yet I would like to strike a heavy blow to you… To make you pay for your actions… And to do that… I shall rescue that hostage… Just to humiliate you… Hmpf."

 _I will teach you how stupid you really are, woman… Prepare yourself!_

12:38 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Ah! Nothing like an excursion to the woods to switch off from the city stress… And the tension onboard _Purgatory_ …"

"So… What do you think that Iris girl will do next, Father?"

"We don't know, Jake and Kei."

"I see…"

"President Hades tries to not to show it but… He's nervous."

"No wonder."

A man on his late 50s along with two teens were walking along a mountain path across a forest until a clearing with some wood benches there: they stopped and sat there.

"This is the rendezvous spot… Ah! There he comes. Oscar – kun. Over here."

"Daikani – san, sir… I apologize for the delay, sir…"

"Mind it not."

Atarasei joined them coming from another path: he didn't sport his sunglasses today so it could be seen that he had blue eyes irises.

Daikani, the older man, had blackish hair and brownish eye irises.

"Hey. Oscar. Been a while."

"Yeah… Kei."

Kei, sitting left of Daikani, had black neatly arranged hair and brown irises.

"And it's been a while, too… Jake."

"Sure."

Jake, on the other hand, had black messy hair and brown irises: he could be a few inches shorter in height than his brother.

"Alright. Let's resume the excursion."

"I'm sorry to…" Atarasei timidly began, looking elsewhere.

"You're not butting in, Oscar – kun. I invited you, remember?"

"Y-yes, sir… It's just that…"

"I thought we'd reached an agreement over this time ago, hadn't we?"

"Y-yes, sir… But…"

"Oscar – kun. You're like a third son to me. You needn't feel like you're trying to steal my sons' place. Feel like you're one more member of the family. That's it." Daikani told him.

"Thank you, sir… It's just that… As you know, sir… I've always lacked someone to take care of me… So… I'm still getting used to it… You could argue that I've had over 2 years' time to do so and it's true yet…"

"Forget about that. Today we disconnect and enjoy this excursion. It'll do you well to breathe some fresh mountain air."

"… Roger, sir. Thank you, sir." He formed a weak smile.

"Hey, Oscar. What's the latest gag of M&F?" Jake asked.

"Ah! You want to know it? Heh, heh! Fine! It's from an album titled "50 Years' Vengeance"… M&F is a series that has over 50 years of continuous publication, you see!"

"Over 50 years? Whoa! Thought it was something modern." Kei whistled in surprise.

"It beats almost all popular _manga_ nowadays!"

"Yeah. But it can't beat _Tintin_. Oh well. That asides… Past foes return on this album to have a commemorative 50 Years' Vengeance on M &F! And they found the "AVIMOFI"… "Asociación de Victimas de Mortadelo y Filemón"… That is, the "M & F Victim Association"!"

"Sounds like a syndicate-like name, no?" Jake laughed.

"Sure does. Well. The good part is at the start… The "TIA" and their secret entrances!"

"What is it this time around?"

"The characters jump into the Sun, inside of it! A guy nearby who sees that tries to imitate them and emerges all burnt out! M&F emerge inside of the HQ and M pulls a fourth wall joke! "Heh, heh! They'd paid a fortune to know how this entrance works like, wouldn't they?"… And "they" means the readers!"

"Oho."

"And soon enough… Another example of how Bacterio's stuff always does the contrary of what's supposed to do! Labelled as a product to become a Superman… The guy who got accidentally showered on it got beaten by the cleaning lady with one broom attack! While M thought he'd died!"

"Expect disastrous results from Bacterio's inventions!"

"Sure! And soon the foes begin to show up one after the other… And, as usual, they lose to their dumb luck! Leading them is a guy named Antofogasto Panocho, the "Tyrant"… His surname's a parody of that of Pinochet, the Chile tyrant… He's the guy providing the money, the resources, and who came up with the idea."

"Sounds like a dangerous type…"

"It is! But as I said… Their dumb lucks foils it all! Like, for example… F finds a bomb hidden in the HQ but then 3 of the villains converge on him trying to tear him to pieces! The bomb goes off and they get KO along with F: but M takes all the credit despite it being a coincidence!"

"What kind of villains, by the way?"

"Heh! All types! A magician specialist in hypnosis, a monster made up of sewer sludge, a guy with a top hat filled with gadgets, a big guy with a crazy look and brute strength, another big guy who's always using insulting words… A mad scientist that can turn into an insect… Another one who invents crazed weapons… A guy who's got a revived dinosaur as his pet… An imitator of Freddy Krueger… An alien disguised as a human mad scientist who has his own squad of aliens... An international criminal gang made of up of about 10 members…"

"Whoa. There sure is a lot of them."

"Here! We reached the top of the hill! Stop and look at these vast forests… And breathe in this air!" Daikani instructed.

Indeed: the group had reached the top of the hill and they could overlook a wide forest surrounding most of the valley: some villages were visible several kilometers away as well: other hills popped up from within the forest as well: the group breathed in and then exhaled.

"It's a really fresh air… It feels good!" Atarasei muttered.

"Of course!" Jake patted his back.

"It was a good idea to come further inland: there are spots like these that are little known!" Kei commented.

"Never forget the purity of forests!" Daikani told them.

"So… I guess that they all get foiled, huh?" Jake guessed.

"Huh? Ah! You meant the comic? Yeah. Sure. As always. Dumb luck in most of the cases or interference by others… Such as Rompetechos, the short and rather bald guy with terrible sighting… At the end the mastermind himself goes to the HQ to settle the score… Only to fall prey to a string of traps everyone had readied since they'd predicted the guy could come for them!"

"Terrific and crazy traps, eh?" Kei chuckled.

"Sure. Lots of 'em. Sponsored by Trap Man, the master of the ever-so-fearful Trap Cards!" Atarasei laughed at his joke.

"Let's go down from this side." Daikani instructed.

"Roger, sir. I feel better now." Atarasei told him.

"See? You needn't worry about this, Oscar – kun. Life is there to enjoy it, not to spend it worrying and going over paranoia…"

"You're right, sir. Maybe I should've talked it more with you, sir. Boss has been of help insofar, but… He lacks the experience and knowledge."

"You know you can always ask me when I'm not busy helping President Hades with the financial and organization procedures…" Daikani placed his hands atop Atarasei's shoulders.

"Thank you very much, sir." He looked in a better mood.

"Let's go."

The group began to descend the hill and they looked at a group of birds forming shapes on the air while moving over the forests: some squirrels happily jumped and ran around along with rabbits: Atarasei, Jake and Kei crouched to have a better look at them.

"I hadn't seen any from up close for many years… Too much time wasted in the city…" He muttered.

"But there's still time to enjoy nature, Oscar – kun. _We have all the time in the world_." Daikani smiled at him.

"True, sir. Well then. Let us go, sir."

"Alright. Let's go. Today's a day to enjoy Nature."

"By the way: where's Alex?" Jake asked.

"He wanted to play paint-ball with the others so…" Atarasei shrugged.

"Paint-ball, huh… Maybe we could do that, too, one day." Kei looked interested.

"Yeah. We could. It'd be fun."

"Alright. Now we go west following this path." Daikani instructed.

The group turned left at a crossroad with a signpost and walked down a path across the forest.

"It calms down one's mind, it really does…" Atarasei muttered.

"Maybe we could go visit a temple one day, too. Or a garden."

"Good idea, Kei – niisan."

"I approve. Let's look forward to that, too!"

16:56 PM (Philippines Time)…

"… First one! Netsuhonoo."

"Here I am, Prince."

"So. Tell me. Do you still hate that man?"

"… Well… To some extent. But not to the extent of wanting to attack the man or injure the man."

"Good. You're satisfied that you've been able to study what you really wished to study?"

"Of course, sir."

Kuroban was sitting inside of a room: the rom had a stone-made platform with a bare throne built on it and Kuroban was sitting on it: a guy whose face looked like that of Raging Flame was standing in front of the throne and speaking with him.

This guy, Netsuhonoo, was a guy on his late teens or early 20s.

His hair had been dyed fire red and his eyes' irises were brown.

"You've had some episodes of acting like a fool yet… You have obeyed all of my orders insofar. Remember: just because you were the first member of the back-then "Elite Unit" apart from Gray… That doesn't give you the right to act like you're above others."

"I understand that, sir."

"Good. I suppose you have not spoken of Kyutora to anyone outside of the organization, have you?"

"Of course not, sir. No – one would believe it but I obey, sir."

"Hum. You've got a point in that no – one would believe it… And those fools fell for some misinformation… Keep on spreading it."

"Roger, sir."

"You're dismissed. Next! Kazebun!"

Netsuhonoo came out and a new member came in: given his face, he was Fighting Cyclone.

The guy looked like he was close to 20 years old and he had eyes with brown irises: his hair had been tinted purple and his face was smooth and had a "good" profile to it.

"So. Kazebun. You always thought of yourself as a society misfit and tended to take out your unfocused anger in brawls… Now that you've gained this status… What do you think of yourself?"

"I am grateful to have been granted this chance to become something better than the fool I was."

"Good… You were feared because you were pretty strong at brawls and had established your own turf… That's why I choose you: you weren't afraid to fight. You wouldn't hesitate."

"True, sir. Although I have my limits, of course."

"I know. Insofar… You haven't tried to start a brawl with the others."

"It'd be stupid. I realized that I was being tested. And the smartest thing to do was to obey the rules. Your power was clearly above mine."

"Indeed… Is there some regret you have?"

"Regret, sir? There was a man who often challenged me… And defeat me more than once… I never got to understand what made that man strong… Because they weren't too smart, either. Maybe it was mere muscle mass. But nevertheless… It's always picked me." Kazebun admitted with a sigh.

"Could be. If you have a score to settle then you can do it. But you can't use the power I granted you to try to turn the tables around."

"I won't, sir. I'll fight with all I have. Maybe that man's gotten weaker with time since there hasn't been anyone strong enough to challenge them."

"It brings back _why_ I began this. Golden Star needed a strong force to fight against and force them to train again and again and avoid rusting away and being too weak to face a crisis… You're dismissed. Next! Umisama!"

"…Here I am, Prince."

"Good."

Umisama, Blue Wave, had been dyed blue although there was a trace of brown hair underneath it: he was about the same age as the others.

"So? What about that aunt you ran away from?"

"I honestly don't know. I've tried to totally forget that woman, sir. To avoid the temptation of having payback, sir."

"But something tells me you've had it nevertheless."

"Of course, sir. But I've always managed to hold myself back. After all… Payback doesn't change anything." Umisama admitted with a sigh.

"Good answer. By the way… I've never asked you, but… Where were you intending to go on that day when you'd sailed away with your boat only to be caught in a violent storm?"

"I intended to go to the next island and mingle with the crowds there while picking up part-time jobs… To save up money…"

"I see. And yet the storm brought you to the island that was the "Seraph" HQ… We adopted you as one of us…"

"Indeed, sir. I am forever grateful of that, sir. Actually… From time to time I've been using this ability to explore more of the seas… Because I ultimately aim to, one day, become a marine biologist."

"Marine biologist… That's a good goal, Umisama. Seas are the origin of life: understanding how life adapts to the sea could be the key to knowing how to survive…" Kuroban looked interested.

"It's as you say, sir."

"Don't give up on that dream. Maybe you could become one by gathering enough knowledge. If it's for that goal's sake… Use the power."

"Thank you very much, sir!"

"You may leave. Next! Kisei!"

"… Yes, Prince! Here I am!"

"Good. To begin with… Do you feel alright?"

"Ah! You mean what happened some months ago, sir? Yes, I am."

"If you say so… But if you feel any pain or anything strange… Tell me immediately!"

"By your orders, sir!"

Kisei, Ruthless Vine, had green tinted hair and it was neatly combed while his irises were emerald green.

His face had some marks of previous cuts and blows which had mainly faded by now.

"Similar to Kazebun… You, Kisei, were also a society misfit. But you belonged to a local team… They used to bully you because of your tinted hair and your interest in botany…"

"Indeed, sir. These marks on my face are from those times. But I never admitted defeat and stood up again and again to beat them back. I eventually quit the team and was wandering across there and there when Eisei found me: he'd heard rumors of my strong will…"

"Yeah. You stood up again and again no matter how hard they beat you. And that made those bullies lose interest: because having an opponent that fights back isn't "fun" for those lowlifes. I thought that your botany knowledge could be useful if I had to deal with something involving plants or flowers or vegetables."

"And to answer to your expectations, sir, I have continued to study all types of botany subjects across the world."

"Excellent. I want you to focus on botany-related poisons and antidotes… That Iris might try to abuse of those for all we know."

"I will do my best, sir!"

"I don't doubt that, Kisei. But remember not to push yourself either. Alright. Next! Urateido!"

"… H-here I am, sir…"

"Stop shuddering. I'm not here to scold you."

"Y-yes, sir!"

Urateido, Evil Corvus, came in next.

He had blackish hair which was combed in a neat manner and it extended until the base of the neck: his eyes' irises were blue.

He was currently shivering and nervous as if he expected punishment.

"At first, when I still thought of using _yaoi_ clubs to gain money for Shunoros… Your knowledge about them was useful. I still felt like I had to do something to pay back at Golden Star for what had happened when the "Seraph Tower" and the "Mu Continent"… So when I heard that Golden Star had caught you I decided to use you… And even though you discovered Sieg… You have been troublesome from time to time, along with Gray… And that cousin of yours… Yanada, was it?"

"Y-yes, sir. Yanada Bruce, sir…"

"You tend to get too confident in battle and that has cost you many battles yet… You sometimes have been able to properly fight… Nevertheless… Your knowledge of that world could be useful one day, for all I know. So that's why I tolerate you. I've punished you several times: I expect you to learn your place… Have you learnt it?"

"Eh… Yes, sir. I won't make a stupid display in front of you, sir. I don't gain anything from that, sir!"

"Fine. I don't care what you four do as long as you don't do it near Ernst and away from here. Here's a job: investigate there and there to see if you can figure out if that Iris woman's stolen stuff from some club. It could be a potential lead to that woman's whereabouts, even."

"R-roger, sir! I'll get to work ASAP, sir!" He nervously saluted.

"I don't expect immediate results but I want detailed results. As detailed as possible, of course. Leave. Next! Ernst!"

"… Prince, sir. Here I am."

"Ernst… What's with that hostile glare?"

"I am sorry, sir. It's just that…"

"You crossed paths with Urateido right now. I know. But I did order you to ignore that man. Didn't I?"

"You're right, sir. I was careless, sir."

Ernst's, End Angel, eye irises were blue.

His hair had grown in an uncontrolled manner and it now extended to past the base of his neck: it had a natural reddish tone to it.

He looked hostile for a moment but then lowered the head and politely bowed.

"You're one of my most trusted men. I know you're prone to anger and I don't blame you for that: it's inevitable. But you must remember to keep it under check when I'm around. Don't disappoint me."

"I know, sir. I have a very important debt with you, Prince. I wouldn't want to offend you, sir."

"Good. Remember that you can go back to your village anytime you wish to… And if you catch some info involving either Shadow Nova or Iris then report it to me. Anything could be a potential lead at this stage. By the way: speaking of your village… Your friend is alright, right?"

"Alec, sir? Yes, I called him yesterday. Everyone falls for the rumors that I'm on Jawaii." Ernst calmly looked up.

"Don't lower the guard, nevertheless. I know you must suffer at times but don't let that suffering consume you. It's harsh and I surely can't understand what it feels like but… If you want help… I'm here to help."

"… Thank you very much, sir… I… will be leaving, sir."

"Don't feel ashamed, Ernst. Cry if you must. It'll do you well. You can leave. Next! Siegfried!"

"… Y-yes, Prince… H-here I am, sir."

"I hope you weren't intending of making fun of Ernst."

"N-no! I don't want to earn Ernst's anger, sir. I'd gain nothing from it!"

"Fine. Now… Let's get down to business."

Siegfried, Venomous Wolf, was a bit younger than the others, maybe around Leon's age: his face shape was very similar to his as well.

His white hair was way more uncared for than Leon's.

"Don't start pestering Leon, Napalm Man or Hikari Raito. I will know if you tried to. And don't mess with others. Don't try to come closer to Colonel or Search Man either. Last I need is giving fuel to the warmongers lurking around those two." Kuroban warned.

"R-roger!"

"I will know if you started some mess. Everyone knows you well know to expect you to start a mess. I did recruit you because you had a connection with Golden Star and knew internal info… But also because I didn't want you to rot away in the _yaoi_ club world together. That'd be a wasted life: I was compassionate… For once. Just for once. Don't expect me to get compassionate again, Siegfried."

"I understand, sir…!" He was starting to sweat by now.

"Like I told Urateido… You know the rules. Obey them and nothing will happen. If not you know what happens. You'll share the same mission with Urateido and Gray: to catch info using your connections. Ah! And trying to challenge Burai or Serenade is stupid as well. If you feel like fighting someone try Shark Man or Skull Man. They're rumored to be pretty powerful. Maybe that'll help you realize the limits of your own strength…" He formed a snicker at the end.

"B-by your orders, sir!"

"And when you realize those… Maybe you'll cool off a bit. Don't start imitating Wolverine or a werewolf. Last! Gray!"

"… Y-yeah, _aibou_?"

"Shut the door. This is serious talk. I'll need you to come with me on a special mission soon enough."

"R-roger!"

Gray Thunderbolt AKA Eisei eyes' irises were blood red and his nose had a slightly sharpened form.

His green hair was totally messy and grew until the base of the neck while having a purple-colored plastic piece forming an arch starting over the ears and extending backwards but which didn't contribute to keep the shape but rather seemed to be an accessory to appeal as "cool" and fashionable.

"Good. Do you remember what was on the Kyutora space-city?"

"Huh? Yeah. Those recordings left behind by the civilization XY and Helios belong to… About that project… Duo… Wasn't it?"

"Yeah. XY and Helios have realized something about Duo."

"What is it? Isn't it hundreds of light-years away from here?" Eisei nervously asked.

"Not necessarily. It could have drawn an orbit extending a century or more to constantly show up again to check on this planet."

"Wha~t?" He gasped in horror.

"Checking back registers of comets observations… At almost every century's first half starting with the 1st century AD… A very bright comet is reported in more than one civilization… Always viewed as a sign of doom because it used to be seen in times of war or disease…" Kuroban explained to him.

"But… The "Mu Continent" was sealed in another dimension! So Duo shouldn't be able to spot it just by performing a flyby of Earth, right?"

"Indeed. Had it spotted it, Duo would've surely taken action millennia ago. But it didn't. Yet… He's kept on coming back."

"Why? Your kingdom was gone by then, too. And you never openly displayed your advanced tech, either."

"The source must be the carelessness of the 2nd generation of the Exiles."

"The 2nd generation of the Exiles? You mean all those who fled the colonies after Duo blew up their home-world using those "space-cities", right? One landed in Kyutora, established a portal to jump into the Solar System through the Kuiper Belt, and the other 2 landed in different spots of Asia…" Eisei recalled.

"Yeah. The Kyutora one was supposed to keep watch over that portal and if it detected Duo's approach then destroy it to avoid Duo using it and stalling for time for the Exiles to hide the cities on Earth. But problem was that… When the 2nd generation was born… The 1st generation, ashamed at being the contemporaries of the fools who built Duo… Didn't tell them what they were supposed to do or why they were on Kyutora to begin with. They then died taking the secret to the grave so the 2nd generation decided to join the rest of the Exiles on Earth. And thus the portal has remained open all this time. Because no – one was around to control who crossed it." Kuroban sighed.

"Oh come on! There was the risk that Earth might become a repeat of their home-world and they didn't tell their successors? They didn't think of the consequences!"

"Yeah. That's exactly what led Helios to turning his body into cybernetic data and becoming a Net Navi: someone had to keep watch in case Duo did arrive and carry out means to disable the thing or to destroy it. He and XY thought that the first fly-by of about 2350 years ago was the last one and Duo had kept on going deeper and deeper into the Milky Way… But, recently, when trying to compute his actual position based on the approximate direction he was headed to and his top speed… He realized that he was doing that based on an assumption. What if Duo, having crossed through the portal, realized that the portal was there because the Exiles had something to do in Earth? Despite that there were no traces of advanced technology on the surface… They could be hiding and waiting for his passing to emerge. That's why he keeps on coming back!"

"Shit. So that means that last time around it was sometime between 1900 and 1950."

"Helios managed to narrow down the year: November, 1914. During World War One… Maybe the scale of the war might've made him think that, eventually, Network technology would emerge… And he might be about to appear again… There are several estimates but there are always factors we cannot totally predict or compute. He might show up tomorrow for all we know. So we're working on a plan to confront the thing and destroy it for good."

"Can we actually destroy such a monster?"

"We can. And we will. The preparations are underway. You will come with me to Kyutora to advance on them."

"A-alright."

"This is between you and I. Slur knows it but has not told anyone else in Golden Star. Not even Kanou Shade. Burai's involved and we are. And XY and Helios have worked out the plan. We only need a few more steps to be able to execute it as soon as we catch sign of Duo." Kuroban stood up and walked down the throne towards the doors.

"But…"

"There's no time to hesitate, Gray. Earth's survival is at stake. And other planets and civilizations we know nothing about could be in danger as well. It is for the sake of the Universe as well." Kuroban reminded him as he turned to face him.

"The sake of the Universe…!" He became white.

"Indeed. A tremendous responsibility… But I won't yield to it. And maybe… Some future generation will realize about what we did… And thank us."

"A future generation…"

"Father… Like you said, sir… Our kingdom has spread into the stars… And to protect our kingdom and our citizens… We shall destroy the repulsive invader. In the name of the Kuroban family…! Duo! I shall destroy you!"


	14. Chapter 14: Rebellion

**Chapter 14: Rebellion**

02:22 AM (Thailand Time), Sunday February the 4th…

"… This is Red Warrior. Nothing out of place. Over."

"This is Blue Warrior. I copy. Nothing out of place here either. Over."

"Green Warrior. The energy field is working normally and so are the generators. Over."

"Yellow Warrior. I'll now check the status of the Net Navis under rebuilding… Over."

"Pharaoh Man speaking… No – one has attempted to get into the mountain… Over."

Yellow Warrior, on his usual form, was checking a row of 7 capsules built on rock that had a cylindrical form and a thick glass cover: mist had formed from the inside to indicate that they were actually cold and thus you couldn't see who was inside of each: Yellow Warrior stopped in front of the rightmost one and brought up a holographic display filled with glyphs and a photo of Drill Man.

"Rebuilding: 100% completed. Good. On schedule. Next."

He walked a few steps left and checked the next one: this one belonged to Flash Man.

"Rebuilding: 100% completed. Good. On schedule. Next."

He walked to the following capsule and brought up its info screen too: Flame Man was inside.

"Rebuilding: 100% completed. Good. On schedule. Next."

The fourth one starting from the left contained Elec Man.

"Rebuilding: 100% completed. Good. On schedule. Next."

The fifth one came up next and the display revealed Desert Man.

"Rebuilding: 100% completed. Good. On schedule. Next."

The penultimate one's info screen showed that Magic Man was the occupant.

"Rebuilding: 100% completed. Good. On schedule. Next one's last. Dullahan should have finished rebuilding too and…!"

"MUGRO~H!"

"What!"

There was a roar of anger coming from the leftmost capsule: something hit the glass from the inside but it didn't get cracked: a red display filled with glyphs and some moving graphs appeared.

"Isolate the capsule!" Yellow Warrior hissed.

The ground rumbled and a whole chunk of it along with the capsule, the occupant and Yellow Warrior were warped away to reappear in a small stone chamber with no apparent entries or exits: Yellow Warrior drew two Elec Sword Battle Chips and crossed them in an "X" shape to get ready to face the occupant.

"The override program is damaged by 5.68% and is unable to bring out its fully power. Even if the cover is a material designed to resist physical attacks… It is badly suited for energy attacks. But the graphs say that the occupant can only bring out about 23.71% of their strength. I should expect sluggish reactions, a lack of rational thinking and mere instinct-based attacks. Nevertheless… I cannot lower the guard." He muttered.

"What do we do?" Red Warrior asked over the radio.

"Both Lord XY and Lord Helios departed for Kyutora hours ago!" Blue Warrior nervously muttered.

"Along with Refraction as well." Green Warrior sighed.

"Hum. This is _bad_." Pharaoh Man calmly muttered.

"If things look dangerous… Come help me. Nevertheless… If the man attempts to break out of the city… It is suicide. That energy field is calibrated so that not even Lord XY himself would survive hitting it!"

"You have a point. Lord XY calibrated it. Maybe this fool will destroy itself and Lord XY will save himself the trouble of having to rebuild them."

"Mugro~h… Gruo~h…! Kuh… Gruh… Grua~h!" The occupant growled between gasps as if they lacked enough strength to even growl.

"Energy concentration rising…" Yellow Warrior muttered.

"K-k-krugh… Gruh… S… Sty~x…! You damned… traitor…! I'll bury you bastard…! With my hands…! Forte's power is… MINE~…! You damned puppet…! If only you'd obeyed me…! Stealing my power…! Backstabbing me, the master…!" A man's voice began to growl.

"Hmpf. How deplorable…"

"T-there you are…! I'll bury you yet…! Gruh… GRA~H CROSS LASER!"

An energy release from inside the capsule made the cover blow up and some mist quickly spread outside of it: a figure could be seen inside of it and it managed to step outside of the capsule but their balance was erratic: it made some steps forward and it turned out to be the "Darkloid" Laser Man.

"T-there…! Die! C-C-Cross Laser!"

Laser Man tried to load his attack but his tubes frizzled and the energy didn't properly exit them and didn't manage to start concentrating: Laser Man growled and sluggishly tried to punch Yellow Warrior but he easily jumped over him and stabbed both Elec Swords on his back where there was a small gap on the armor: electricity filled Laser Man's body from the inside and he growled: he collapsed on his fours soon enough while Yellow Warrior put some distance: Laser Man growled.

"S-Star Breaker… LASER!"

His cannons tried to load up the attack but the energy imploded and the attack didn't get to form: Laser Man somehow got back to his feet by leaning on the capsule's stone block and growled.

"I-impossible…! I'm the strongest "Darkloid" ever! M-my power… hatred, anger, grudge, revenge…! I'm… strongest…!"

"That's a mere fantasy you fools have. You simply had slightly higher defense, attack and strength plus a slightly different body structure. Your world of "Dark" was not real "Dark" but a mere decoration… The opponents were weak… But then they got stronger and they turned the tables around. If you wanted Forte's power so much then absorb it yourself instead of relying on a proxy."

"W-w-what…! Shut up, Styx…!"

"I'm not Styx. I'm the Yellow Warrior, serving Lord XY."

"XY…? D-damn it! I r-remembered! I g-got to s-settle the score… with that man too…! Luring me… in like… that…! And not… allowing me to… have my revenge…!"

"Lord XY wanted to do a favor to Kuroban. That is all. Thought that maybe he could teach you how to behave but… That was not the case. So you were being rebuilt into something else."

"R-rebuilt…! T-that must be it…! Why I lack power…! And my memories are compressed like this…! With some missing…! Damn them…! The "Darkloids"… will rule the world…!"

"Dream on. You're in Lord XY's domains. It's impossible to escape from here. Surrender." Yellow Warrior simply shot back.

"D-damn you…! Hruh…! Gruh…! I'll… tear you apart…! And take your power…! For me…! Gruh… Grah!"

Laser Man tried to run but quickly lost balance and collapsed face-down on the ground: he tried to lift the right arm but the data suddenly split into pieces to then reform: Laser Man growled.

"All of your body values have been lowered. It's pointless to keep on fighting me. You will never be able to win. The rebuilding is over 80% completed. It will free you of those pointless "negative emotions" and you will be reborn anew. Like your comrades of "Jet – Black Phoenix"…"

"No…! This cannot be…! I w-will… destroy Styx…! Bury that man…! That d-damned… treacherous puppet…!"

"You were going to betray him, anyway. He saw it coming. So he proved that he was not your mere puppet. And, besides… Kuroban allowed him to leave the organization."

"K… Kuroban…! I'll destroy you too…! G-gruh…! Area Steal…!"

"Fool…"

Yellow Warrior also warped and spotted Laser Man crawling towards the two grand doors that were the entrance of the "space-city": Laser Man tried to touch them and nothing happened: he growled and tried to output power but was unable to.

"A-Area Steal…! Huh…! I can't… warp… beyond the walls…!"

"Of course not. The city is surrounded by a very powerful barrier: you will be destroyed the moment you touch it or try to break through it."

"R-revenge… I hate them a-all… D-destruction…! H-hatred…! Forte's power…! T-the guy's… hatred for humans and Navis…! Will make me… the ultimate…! Damn you… B-B-Blues…! T-the… Murama…sa…! S-Styx… L-let's run…! Guh…! W-what…! Y-you…! Gruh… grah… kah… Guh…! N-no…! It c-can't be…! M-my puppet… stole my power…! I'm… vanishing…! T-that can't be…!" He began to mutter as he apparently recalled the past.

"How deplorable. What do you think, my brethren? Do we put this deplorable thing out of its misery?" He asked the others.

"We agree. Lord XY did tell us that if the situation called for it he did not mind if we had to delete this man." The others agreed.

"Alright. Now I'll put you out of your misery!"

The doors opened to reveal a tall and thick purple-colored energy field that emitted an ominous sound: energy ripples and streaks crossed across its surface: Yellow Warrior grabbed Laser Man and lifted him above him.

"Farewell!"

He flung Laser Man towards the field: he was instantly erased with a bright flash and not even data remained of him…

13:59 PM (Indianapolis Time), Saturday February the 3rd…

"… Huh… Kuh…"

"He's waking up. Looks like the pain isn't totally gone, Barrel…"

"No wonder. After spending days like that…"

"… W-where am I…?"

"Our base, Colonel…"

"T-Tomahawk Man… Guh…! My body feels painful there and there…!"

"No wonder…"

Tomahawk Man was standing inside of the cell where Colonel had been kept quarantined: his body was back to normal and he was lying face-up on the bare metallic ground while looking somewhat confused: Tomahawk Man was crouching to his head's left.

"… Iris!" He suddenly seemed to remember.

"Calm down!" Tomahawk Man pushed him back.

"… I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"Now's not the time for that." Barrel replied.

"Yeah. It isn't."

"Thunder Man?"

Thunder Man turned out to be there, on the NE corner: he'd been leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

"Blues found the files Meddy had on your type of infection and handed them to me. Apparently your precious Iris wanted us to heal you: maybe the gal wanted you to feel guilty for your actions."

"B-but then…?"

"Yeah. Meddy's still a hostage. We dunno where. Blues says he's been searching there and there but it's not easy. We don't have leads."

"We did this because it had to be done. We don't want anything on exchange, Barrel. And don't try to convince me to be your proxy anymore. Understood?" Raoul was telling Barrel in the meanwhile.

"I know." Barrel calmly replied.

"Shit. What do we do?" Colonel cursed.

"For the time being… You're still under quarantine, Colonel. You never know: there could be something left with secondary effects that has escaped our detection. Tomahawk Man will take care of the investigations…" Barrel told him.

"… Fine… What is Iris' goal? To have revenge on me?"

"So it'd seem. Has been showing up there and there from what we've gathered but loves to leave a lot of fake trails. And she can materialize at will like those Shunoros guys too. So she could be in the real world, even in a remote African village, and we couldn't know."

"… Damn it. It's all those bastards' fault…! Staying in power only to get rich and not giving crap for what happens with the army…!"

"Looks like we needn't worry about those… WikiLeaks has recently released compromising documents showing their hypocrisy and Washington's in an uproar. No wonder. The President has barely begun his second mandate and he gets a scandal already. As if he wasn't suffering enough with Congress and the Republicans… So those guys have been removed from their posts and arrested…"

"Why would Iris…?"

"She hates them as much as she hates you, I guess. Or hates them even more than you."

"Damn it. If only I'd thought of doing that…!"

"It'd been risky. They could've easily dragged us along. Your violent actions back then would be publically known."

"V-violent actions? I just did what had to be done, Barrel!"

"I never told you to try to avenge Serenade."

"Because you didn't know him!"

"Are you talking about me, Colonel?"

"Guh! Serenade!"

"Ah. Forgot to say he came to carry out the repairs…"

Serenade stepped in and Tomahawk Man realized he'd forgotten to say he was there.

"You never change. Do you?" He sighed.

"Hmpf!"

"Pride does not win a battle, Colonel. On the contrary. Chances are high that you will lose it."

"I don't need anyone telling me what to do!"

"So that means you give a crap about what I say." Barrel fumed.

"Gurh. I meant… Civilians should stay out of this!"

"That is not how problems are solved. Violence hardly solves anything."

"Come to lecture me? You're wasting your time."

"I did heal you and that is how you thank me, Colonel? You are too ungrateful: that "pride" gets on the way. Maybe I should have tried to remove it from you." Serenade sighed, disappointed.

"Sheesh. Fine! I owe you one. But just one!"

"At least you admit it. And I agree that you should stay under watch for a few days just in case. Tomahawk Man can handle the investigations, as Barrel says. Shadow Man is already gathering news in Japan: I stumbled upon him as he tried to hide in a shadow but I saw through it."

"Serenade! Someone had to put a stop to Forte! Look at the rampage!"

"I know he went on a rampage once he was resurrected. And?"

"The destruction…!"

"He was on a rampage. But then again that was because of all the negative emotions those four pumped into his body and mind."

"And why did you…?"

"I promised Meijin I would help Rock Man and Blues. And I did. I granted Rock Man the Soul Unison. And they managed to stop Forte's rampage."

"That's not what I meant! Why would you sacrifice yourself? For the sake of those Navis?"

"It was also part of a strategy to make Forte lower the guard: with me gone, he surely thought there could be no-one else that could rival his power. He was proven wrong. And I had already predicted that so I immediately moved my whole consciousness program outside of the body… Those "images" of me were actually holograms I projected to interact with others." Serenade calmly told him.

"But…!"

"I knew it would take time for someone to rebuild my body. But in the meanwhile… My new form allowed me to travel undetected and witness many things… And in the end I encouraged Forte to use his power to help Rock Man defeat the Super Cybeast."

"How can you be sure that…?"

"That all hatred is gone from him? Because I know. Because I purified his whole body and his mind… And returned him to what he had been. A child… Then again, whose fault was it that he became like that? A bunch of fools who feared his growth capabilities… And Proto… That realize that it would be convenient to blame Forte for its malfunction… The poor child shattered to pieces soon afterward and hatred ruled over his body and mind, slowly consuming him." Serenade turned serious.

"See, Colonel? Arguing over that will hardly solve anything. We need to focus on what we do with Iris."

"Iris is like Forte. A child whose pure heart was stained by arrogance..."

"Those bastards…!"

"Do not try to elude your responsibility, Colonel. You purposely choose to forget her. You betrayed her. You are also part of the problem. Choosing the easy way out…"

"I'm fed up! I'll go and… Guh!"

Colonel violently tried to stand up but he grimaced because he apparently felt a jolt of pain somewhere on his body.

"Don't move so suddenly, man. Some parts of your body are still sensitive: Serenade repaired you the best he could but we had to replace some parts for others… You're not in a condition to fight, either." Tomahawk Man scolded.

"Shit…!"

"Tomahawk Man is right. And now… I must leave. I need to get up-to-date on recent happenings. Reflect upon it, Colonel. Reflect upon your defects and figure out how to overcome those. Only then you will be capable of facing Iris. But until then… You will lose. Again and again."

Serenade left the room and Colonel grumbled something under his breath: Tomahawk Man rolled his eyes, exasperated.

"Damn it… They all make a fool out of me!"

"No wonder." Barrel dully shrugged.

"Barrel…!"

"As your Operator I must take responsibility of your actions and behavior."

"Grah…! Damn it… Iris…! It's not too late yet…!"

"Thinking like that won't help either, Colonel. We need to be rational here. First thing to do is… A new scan of your body."

"Yeah. Maybe we'll pick up the source of those stings of pain."

"I'll call the medical team. But maybe we won't be able to heal you 100% until we get Meddy back… Talk about a headache…"

08:17 AM (Japan Time), Sunday February the 4th…

"… Why are we stopping in this warehouse, XY?"

"I have thought of a trap, Slur. To lure out Iris' men."

"I see. And try to get the hideout data from them…"

"Indeed."

Slur and XY were standing inside of a warehouse somewhere largely devoid of contents: Slur looked surprised at first but XY smiled at her so Slur smiled as well.

"Where! Where's the missile schematics?"

"KARUKIKAKA~H… JAJAGAGARA~H…"

Judge Man and Element Man rushed at a mad speed into the warehouse as if they were expecting to find something: they stopped on their tracks when they stumbled upon both Navis who directed amused glares at them: Judge Man gasped and Element Man also seemed to do so: the purple energy field (identical to the one of the space-city) formed around the warehouse.

"This field is unlike that of the other day. I calibrated it so that not even I can emerge in one piece from hitting it with enough speed and mass. So any attempts to ram it will amount to suicide." XY told them.

"By all the…! We got lured in by the tip-off about forgotten Ameroupe Army missile schematics being stored here…! Our communications are jammed too… And Area Steal doesn't work… Escaping to the real world doesn't work either!" Judge Man growled.

"SHAKARARAKAKAKA~H!" Element Man apparently tried to sound menacing given the annoyed shaped of his simplistic eyes.

"… "Damn you, I'll squish you!"… Can you?" Slur translated before asking.

She formed those yellowish blades on both forearms and immediately shot forward for Element Man: he panicked and shot the flamethrower at her but that hardly stopped her: Slur quickly swung the blades.

"Guh-gah!"

The "X" shaped attack opened a noticeable wound on Element Man's body and Slur made some wires with a metallic cylinder at their end form from within Element Man's body: they quickly spread across his body and into the ground to stop him from moving: Slur made the left arm blade vanish and gripped Element Man's head: it began to glow and he uttered something as Slur tried to read his memories: she glanced over the right shoulder to see Judge Man struggling to try to hit XY with his electrical chain but XY merely moved around in circles: Judge Man resorted to throwing Mini – Bombs in a row but XY was always a couple steps ahead of him.

"What are you two?" Judge Man gasped.

"The future." XY dully replied.

"Then…! The rumors that you are prototypes of next-generation Net Navis were true…!" He muttered.

"Indeed. We are the next-generation Net Navis." XY shrugged.

"We do not need "flashy" things like "attack names". We use our knowledge of data combined with scientific knowledge. Hum. There is nothing here. I see. They actually foresaw a similar _scenario_ and deleted all their memories of the base before leaving. To the point that they do not know the way back, even. And need Iris to haul them back." Slur added before focusing again on the task.

"It was foreseeable. Hardly a surprise. But that means that always one of them must remain on the base… And must have a means of monitoring in live what is happening. Plus a means to quickly retrieve them… Maybe a series of VPN tunnels that delete during their transit…" XY agreed.

"It could be. That would mean that, indeed, all trails left behind are red herrings and the real path is deleted along the trip. Maybe they use Dimensional Converters in the real world at some stage. And they must be underground else we would have detected them time ago."

"What do we do?"

"Let us make them despair a bit more…" Slur grinned.

"Fine. If that will be productive lesson…"

Slur let go of Element Man and made the wires vanish: Element Man collapsed on his fours, panting, but managed to stand up: he roared and his body glowed.

"Hum. Auto-recovery system… Fine. So. Can you actually bite? Or you can only bark?" Slur taunted.

"MAGAGAMASHAKAKYA~H!"

"… "I'll show you what I can do!"… So be it."

Element Man grumbled and formed an Aqua Tower followed by thunderbolts: the Aqua Tower was electrified and advanced for Slur but she merely extended her left hand and focused the electricity there in the form of a sphere: she shot it back at the Aqua Tower and it flew past it and hit Element Man: he was electrocuted as the Aqua Tower suddenly began to boil and it quickly evaporated into steam: Slur didn't bother to attack and Element Man formed his Woody Towers followed by his Tornadoes: Slur did nothing as the tornadoes began to disperse and the Woody Towers began to get wet from the steam in the air: their wood began to splinter there and there and they eventually collapsed: Element Man gasped in disbelief and tried the flamethrower: it hit Slur face-on but she didn't even flinch and she didn't get a single scratch: Element Man was panicked by now and he saw that Judge Man wasn't faring any better: every time he tried to form the books the pages suddenly jumped off the covers and scattered around the warehouse: Judge Man attempted his Stone Punch summon but the humidity made the rock splinter before it could hit the ground: the bubble didn't fare better because a gust of wind made it pop: the flamethrower also was inefficient because a geyser sprouted from the wet ground and hit it thus making it evaporate: both Navis were out of their wits by now.

"By all the… They needn't even move!" Judge Man cursed.

"Did you realize it? The difference on power… This is the future."

"Your age will soon come to a closing." XY added.

"What! You lot intend to replace us?"

"No."

"Then what do you mean?"

"That Navis will have to evolve and change if they want to survive in the upcoming age. Flashy attacks like these will mean nothing. You will depend on your intelligence level to survive." Slur dully replied.

"Indeed. Intelligence will mark the difference between victory or defeat, not mere flashy attacks and mere muscle." XY continued.

"You current Net Navis are too heavily influence by this nation's culture… Be it gaming software, animation series, novels or _manga_ … Because it feels "cool" to attach names to your techniques and make them flashy… The so-called "romanticism"… Something pointless and which only clouds rational judgment."

"Our designer was a great scientist. He knew what was needed. Understanding of how this world worked like… And how the real world works as well… So we are scientist Net Navis… Science is what created Net Navis. And so Net Navis, by knowing science, they can know what must be done and how it must be done. That was our creator's final desire: to set the foundations for a future in which scientific Net Navis would work alongside human scientists and drive civilization forward…"

"By all the… So you use your knowledge to counter our attacks?"

"Indeed. The Stone Punch, for example. What is it? Rock. What is rock's weakness? Humidity. If the rocks gets humid from the inside then its mass will be compromised and so will its integrity… So I merely condensed water vapor inside of it to create that desired effect… As simple as that yet none of you current Net Navis would stop to think of that. You would think of "countering" or "blocking" or "dodging"…"

"KAKA… RIRIKA?" Element Man asked Judge Man.

"What? "Is that… true?"… Don't get cold feet now, comrade!"

"KAGARA… SHABIBIBI… BU…"

"… What next? "I know, but… It's… hard…"… Gnuh! We survived that Hell! We can make it through this!"

"I think we have given you enough of a lesson for now. Let us go, Slur. There is much to be done."

"Indeed. You said it."

The field vanished and both Navis merely flew outside of the warehouse through the east: both Judge Man and Element Man remained on combat stance as if they feared it was a feint and they would come back: five minutes passed and nothing happened.

"Iris – sama…"

"At last! Communications work! What happened, you two?"

"Well… Slur and XY lured us to a trap but… They've left. Just like that…"

"Wha~t?" She was incredulous.

"Yet… They achieved their purpose… I feel so demoralized now. Like all I do is but child's game and my mere existence is a joke, an imitation. What should I do, my lady?" He sighed.

"I'd never seen you depressed in all these years. It must've been something pretty heavy. Element Man?"

"MAKAGARA… MA…"

"… "More or less… Yes…"… That bad it was? I'm getting you 2 back right now. I'll warp you. Get ready."

"Yes, my lady… I need to rest. I feel SO tired all of a sudden."

"GARAMA…"

"… "Me, too…"… Yes, Element Man… I understand that, I really do…"

"By all the… You need to tell me in detail what happened! I can't believe my comrades would demoralize like this… This is bad. Damn it all."

04:17 AM (Kabul Time)…

"… Huff."

"We are sorry, my lady."

"You're not to blame, Judge Man. But those words… Heck. Even I got depressed as well!"

"BAGAKAMASHA…"

Judge Man and Element Man were kneeling in front of Iris inside of their hideout's server room: she was frantically pacing around drawing a circle and cursing.

"They're so right on that. That was an idea I'd thought of during our years of imprisonment… And by remembering the battles fought on those grounds… That stupid hunting game that Colonel set up there… To choose someone strong enough to face the Cybeasts… Hmpf. How ridiculous it was!" She annoyingly muttered.

"It truly was."

"SHAMA…"

"Leave me alone and have some rest. I need to take care of some business and don't contact me unless it's very urgent."

"Your will."

"KAGA…"

Both Navis fled while Iris fumed and picked an iPhone from atop the PC's desk: she interacted with it and a song began to ring out.

"… _We passed upon the stair… we spoke of was and when… Although I wasn't there… He said I was his friend… Which came as some surprise… I spoke into his eyes… I thought you died alone… A long, long time ago…"_

"Hmpf. _The man who sold the world_ , by Midge Ure… Fitting for that Colonel bastard. Who sold us, abandoned us, to avoid feeling the guilt and the responsibility."

"… _Oh no, not me… I never lost control… You're face to face… With the man who sold the world…"_

"I need new ideas. But what can I do? Taking into account those 2: they're beyond what I can do! Sheesh. If only Shadow Nova had found me before things would've been easier! The lazy rascals! Seed only was good at spying but was lazy. And Spiral only could think of his damned Gundam imitation to begin with. Void didn't control them enough! But what can you expect from the piece of junk Void was, anyway? Hmpf. Like anyone could see the future…" She annoyingly muttered.

"… _I laughed and shook his hand, and made my way back home… I searched for form and land… For years and years I roamed… I gazed a gazely stare… And all the millions here… We must have died alone… A long, long time ago…"_

"Stars? Speaking of which… I still can't find a convincing explanation of why Shunoros suddenly vanished from August, 2011 to January, 2012… Rumors said that they were building a base in Panama but… No – one's found it. So there must be something else. But what is it? Maybe they all entered cold sleep or something like that? Maybe they realized that they couldn't defeat Golden Star and they needed to start anew… Maybe by training again after months of cold sleep they thought they'd gain the strength to do so?" She wondered.

"… _Who knows? Not me… We never lost control… You're face to face… With the man that sold the world…"_

"… Hmpf. But… The rumors about that strange incident at some point 2 years ago… Was it really some "show" as it was written down? Or maybe it was beyond that? I lack info! Speaking of info…"

She opened a drawer and took out a couple of Polaroids: one was of a list of names and the other was a photo of photo that showed a middle school group posing for the group photo: Meiru, Hikawa, Dekao and Yaito along with Netto and Kage (who had blue eyes irises) were amongst the students posing on the photo.

"Thought you were safe, that you'd deleted all digital records…"

She formed a smile and looked closer at the list: the name "Kage Miquel" was printed there along with the rest of the students' names: the header read "AKIHARA MIDDLE 1ST YEAR, 2008-2009".

"There are still physical records like this written list and that graduation photo… Kage and Hikari know each other! Yet…"

She took out another couple Polaroids from the drawer: they showed another list and another graduation photo: the students looked a bit older in this photo and Kage was absent and Saito was there instead.

"… Hikari's brother suddenly appears and joins 2 years later…"

She checked the list with the header "AKIHARA MIDDLE 3RD YEAR, 2010-11" and the name "Hikari Saito" was there.

"Hikari Saito… A mysterious man… I haven't found but a very sketchy biography… He had a rare genetic heart disease, HBD, and had to spend years living in a hospital as his disease was researched: he had to be operated a few times and by summer of 2010 he was finally healed and was able to join school that September… Problem is: which hospital? For safety reasons, most of their info is physically archived… I tried searching using the disease name but it's said that there have been over 10 cases in the last 15 years…"

She sighed and stored the Polaroids back on the drawer which she locked with a key that she hid beneath the keyboard, stuck there with cello-tape: she then rubbed her chin with the right hand, thinking.

"I can't waste time going to all hospitals on the nation and investigating their archives. But… They look alike… Hikari Saito and Rock Man… Wait a minute! How blind I've been…! If I could disguise as a human using that form of "Hell's Puppeteer"… Why couldn't Rock Man do the same? I think Golden Star's Navis are doing that too. I see…! They're the same man! It's just that they made up a biography to make him pass off as Hikari's brother… Maybe Kage lent him the means to." She realized.

Excited, she began to pace back and forth along the server room: she left the iPhone on the desk and leant against one of the servers.

"… Oh well. I solved this little mystery. Not like it mattered much. Rock Man quit years ago. He barely battles anymore and is busy with high school. He's not a threat. Yet… Andy. That man… He's rumored to have a very powerful form with highly destructive power… That Colonel once met… Maybe I should've tried to copy his memories… Or wait. Maybe Meddy knows about it. It's about time to resume her training. She's stubborn. And I like that. But she won't be able to keep on being stubborn forever. She'll yield, sooner or later. I only need to increase the scale of the training little by little, by stages. Relying on mere force won't do and that's why Tetsukai's accomplice failed to tame Sakurai time ago. Those women relied on force alone and didn't have patience or brains. I'll show them how I overcome them!" She began to excitedly mutter as she licked her lips with the tongue.

Giggling under breath, she headed out of the server room and into the corridor to push the hidden wall, make it rotate a bit, and exit into the stairs leading to the basement: she formed a torch and lighted it up: she was about to descend them when a beep rang out.

"Judge Man. What's happened now?"

"My apologies, yet… A group of guerilla men have stepped through the first of 3 gates… And they are advancing further inside, towards the main base… Do we repel them?"

"Yeah. Bring out the Navi disguised as the national army and order them to shoot the rockets and miss. That should scare them off. If not we toss stun and smoke grenades and charge in with a tank. Do they have rocket launchers?" Iris ordered before asking.

"…. Hmmm… No, my lady. They only have AKs."

"Good. AKs are no match for the tank. Let's make it easier. Bring out the tank and miss in purpose. That should scare them off. If not make the tank advance: that should be enough to make them cower in fear. Ah! Speaking of the tank… Watch out for grenades: we mustn't let them try to toss one inside of the main cannon."

"Your will. I'm on it, my lady."

Iris shrugged and headed downstairs as she hummed a tune: she reached the bottom of them and stopped in front of the door leading to the corridor with the detention cells.

"Well?"

"Success. The 8 of them have run off and I don't think they'll dare to come back in some time now that they know it's being used… I'll deploy decoys and give the impression a large amount of troops is stationed here. They surely won't want to take on several platoons at the same time." Judge Man seemed to have a plan on mind.

"Good. I leave it up to you. Don't contact me: you're free to decide how to hide our presence here. I'll be busy for a couple hours. Unless it's an emergency like this one then don't contact me."

"Your will, my lady."

"Excellent. I'm counting on you, Judge Man. Over and out."

Smiling, she opened the door and shut it behind her before heading for Meddy's cell: she opened the slit to see her sitting on the ground right in front of the door and leaning on the far wall: she lacked her helmet thus revealing her dark blue short hair and she only wore a black cloak with some buttons running down the front to hold it closed: a thick black leather collar had been closed around her neck and a short chain surged from there and until the ground: her eyes were closed and she looked unconscious.

 _Trying to impress me, Meddy? You won't be able to. You're my slave: and I'm going to train you until you submit to me… Only I can understand how beautiful you really are… Sakurai and Roll aren't THAT bad either but I'd rather not get into trouble for wanting to involve them. No. I'd rather leave them as they are… Maybe I'll tease them a bit._

She unlocked the door and stepped in to loom over Meddy: she extended the right hand and the chain jumped into her palm: Iris pulled it and Meddy made a small moan as she reluctantly stood up.

 _My arsenal's waiting to tame you, Meddy… This is going to be fun…!_


	15. Chapter 15: Golden Star's power

**Chapter 15: Golden Star's power**

08:17 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday February the 6th…

"… Huh? Hey, Video Man… Are you sure this is the place? I don't see anything."

"Strange, Burner Man. According to Legato – dono's mail it should be here yet…"

"Shah, shah, shah! And it had his digital sign!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… Welcome to my trap, Radio Trio."

"You're… Iris!"

Burner Man, Video Man and Needle Man stepped into a clearing somewhere and looked around, trying to find something: Iris' voice boomed out close by.

"For starters… Go!"

"Ki~h!"

A spider-like monster with some armor and a gigantic eye showed up there and tackled Video Man: he managed to free himself as the thing shrieked and a holographic display popped out above it.

"What? "Carapace Parasite Beast Gohma"… Isn't that one of the bosses from _The Legend of Zelda: Time's Ocarina_?" Video Man recognized it and gasped.

"Meh! Let's just burn it up and…!" Burner Man drew his burners.

"Gruo~h!"

"Huh? Whoa!"

Burner Man dodged as a roar rang out and a four-legged monster that was pretty big and had scales over the body dropped there.

"Huh? "Fierce Flames Ancient Dragon King Dodongo"… Hey! That's the second boss of the first part of the game!"

"Fight fire with fire." Iris giggled close by.

"Heck. Flames are outta my league. I better help Video Man and… Whoa! Where'd that come out from?"

Needle Man had been about to go help Video Man when some electrical attacks landed close by: a hole formed on the ground and a weird tall squishy creature with what seemed to be some kind of arms emerged from there while being surrounded by electricity produced by some small jellyfish-like creatures: a display formed.

"Sheesh. "Electrical Rotating Insect Barrinade"… All of the 3 first bosses from the game…! But! You forgot something! I'm strong against electricity!" Needle Man grumbled but then grinned.

"No problem. Gohma!"

Gohma jumped and landed in front of Needle Man while Barrinade landed in front of Video Man: both grumbled and Video Man directed an annoyed glare at Needle Man, who gulped.

"I take that back!"

"Fine."

"Go, Barrinade! Fry this old-timer!"

"OLD-TIMER? ME? MY MENTAL AGE IS 22! I'M NO OLD-TIMER! I MIGHT BE A RETRO OTAKU BUT NO OLD-TIMER!" He got pissed off on the spot and protested.

"Oh man." The other 2 sighed.

"Is that so? Video-tape feels something of so long, long ago."

"It hasn't been even 15 years since movies stopped releasing in video format! DVD is still very young! It can't outlive the tape!"

"Who knows? Maybe it will. Go, Barrinade!"

"Not so fast! Playback!"

"Playback…? Ah!"

Video Man formed a copy of Gohma and it began to fight with Barrinade: Video Man grinned and summoned a copy of Barrinade next to fight King Dodongo: and a copy of King Dodongo to fight the real Gohma: the 3 of them put some distance as the monsters fought each other and Iris hissed.

"Damn it. I forgot about your ability!"

"Hmpf! That's what you get for calling me old-timer."

"You guys. What are you doing here?" Legato rushed there.

"That Iris gal lured us with a faked mail, Boss." Burner Man replied.

"I see."

"Sheesh. Come to these… I'll bring out the rest of them! Go! Phantom Ganon, Valvagia, Morpha, Bongo-Bongo, Twinrova!"

A human-like figure riding a black horse showed up followed by a large dragon vomiting flames, a strange mass with some tentacles, a monster hanging up-down with a monstrous head having one eye and cut off hands that hovered away from the body, and two witches riding on brooms and laughing: the group fumed.

"Now what?" Video Man grumbled.

"Guess we'll have to find a way to beat these. Let's focus on one at a time…" Needle Man suggested.

"Looks like we've got no other way around." Burner Man fumed.

"I'll try to find the culprit. Hang in there." Legato told them.

"Wind Cutter!"

"Burning… JET!"

"Needle Cannon! Messy Shooting!"

"Struggle in vain!" Iris taunted.

"Tapeline! Fast Escape!"

"Strike Burner!"

"Needle Attack!"

The group began to focus their attacks on Phantom Gannon and try to ignore the display that moved around trying to block their sight: it read "Dimensional Evil Spirit Phantom Ganon": the attacks were hitting it and its body began to frizzle and leak data: the other enemies had begun to fight each other to Iris' exasperation.

"Judge Man, the…! Could've programmed an IFF system! The lazy rascal: he'll hear from me!"

"One down! Let's go for the dragon next!"

"Go! Scorching Cave-dwelling Dragon Valvagia!"

"Trying to impress us with their in-game titles? It won't work! Tsunami~!"

"Gruo~h! Grah~h! Mugrah~h!"

"That freakish thing over there's mine! Needle Man! Handle the tentacle monster!"

"OK!"

"Sheesh! Obscure Phantom Beast Bongo-Bongo! Trap that sinner in eternal "obscurity"!" Iris commanded.

"Shah, shah, shah! Eat needles, tentacle freak! Needle Cannon! Messy Shooting!"

"Beat that rock 'n roll punk, Aquatic Core Cell Morpha!"

"The dragon got beaten! Those two old hags are next!"

"Sheesh! Destroy the old-timer, Twin Magicians Twinrova!"

"Heh! Tsuinrooba… "Twin" and "rooba"… "Twin" and "granny"… The Twin Grannies!" Video Man grinned as he realized the joke in the name.

"Who the heck thought of that?" She cursed.

"Dunno. Ask the Nintendo team that made the game! One of the most popular ever, indeed! I'm not an old-timer!"

"Hmmm… I think I'm close." Legato muttered.

"Heck. I'll have to pull out now… But this won't be the end! Legato! I've reserved an opponent for you… And one for Andy too…! They shall teach you what happens when you defy me!" Iris hissed.

"I think that it'll be the contrary. _They_ will know what happens when they face us. And it's got to be Judge Man: the guy must be eager to settle the score of the other day, anyway." He grinned.

"Twinrova! Combine! And defeat them all!"

"Hmmm… They brought up their fused form…"

"Let's attack at once! Needle Attack!"

"Wind Cutter!"

"Burning… JET!"

"Heh! Fumikomizan! Hah! Hrah!"

The group attacked the combined form of Twinrova with their attacks and easily bet it up: they then dodged Ganondor's incoming punch attack and got into fighting stance.

"Heh. Everyone's favorite Great Demon King… Oops. My bad: I mean everyone's 2nd favorite. 1st place is for the eternal Koopa – sama!"

"Gruo~h!" Ganondorf roared.

"Demon Kings go home. I'll send you back to you desert! Wind Cutter!"

"Mugro~h!"

"There goes: didn't need the plane ticket. Just like in M&F how the characters can end up kicked away and land elsewhere in the planet!"

"Good… Let's go back. We did some exercise, anyway."

"Shah, shah, shah! Let's publish it on the blog!"

"Go ahead, guys. I'll do some investigation to try to find traces. They didn't think this from the start to the end, it'd seem. Heh!"

11:41 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Hello."

"Huh? Who are you and how did you get here?"

"My name is Takatoo Youichi…"

"Yeah, and?"

"I've come to give you a gift… This precious blue rose…"

"Blue rose…? Hey! Are you in league with Iris?"

"Heh, heh, heh… Obihiro Shun… You were a fool for letting go of such grand power…"

"Shut up! I was brainwashed by Plant Man, one of the 4 Dark Heavenly Kings, as I tried to investigate the increase on "Dark Power"!"

Obihiro had been working with his PC in the Net Police HQ office when "Takatoo", the man spotted in several incident scenes in the past, showed up behind him while having a blue rose on his right hand: Obihiro gasped and then got angered when the man taunted him: he got to his feet and grabbed his coffee cup.

"Eat this!"

He tossed it at the man's hand but he didn't react: he merely smiled and walked closer while aiming the blue rose towards Obihiro: he began to sweat.

"Don't worry. I'll just paralyze you like I did with Ijuuin time ago… You're in my way… Should've stayed out of the business…"

"Like I would." Obihiro coolly shot back.

"Heh. Men… How stupid… This will be a lesson…"

"I wonder about that. Hrah!"

"Ugra~h!"

"What!"

Blues suddenly showed up behind the man and swung a Long Sword upwards to cut off the whole right arm: it hit the ground, frizzled and reverted into a Copy Roid's arm: the opening formed where it'd been frizzled as well revealing some of the Copy Roid's circuitry.

"I was on this guy's trail: the Viruses incidents that have been happening there and there ever since some days ago… This guy was always on the scene… It's a simplistic puppet Navi sent by Iris."

"So that's why he didn't feel how I hit the hand with hot coffee!"

"Yeah. I'm going to capture it for analysis."

"Gruh… Kuh… Sh… Shit… We all die together!"

"This is bad. Hrah!"

Blues ran forward and grabbed the Navi by the waist before warping away along with the Navi: an explosion rang out a few seconds later close by but it was rather muffled: Obihiro rushed out into the corridor and headed for a slightly open closet next to the toilets: he looked inside and found Blues, with some burn marks, cuts and stabbed fragments looking at a heap of materials left behind on the ground.

"Blues! Are you alright?"

"Guh… Somewhat. Should've seen it coming. But at least I reduced casualties to the minimum…"

"Are you alright, Blues?" Enzan rushed there with Oda and Meijin.

"Enzan – sama, sir. Yes, I am. I only reed slight repairs to get these fragments off my armor…"

"Hum. Doubt getting anything from this scrap…" Meijin crouched to examine the fragments.

"Then let's cleanse it up and toss them to the garbage. You did a good job, Ijuuin – kun and Blues." Oda calmly nodded in agreement before congratulating them.

"Thank you very much, sir."

"Go to the Science Labs to have your body repaired, Blues. Punk! Do an inspection of all security and systems with the staff. Meijin: you did make sure we've got nothing compromising on the archive, right?"

"Of course, sir. And I've got the physical keys. The jammers there impede Copy Roids or Navis from staying materialized. There are no electrical systems save for the lights." Meijin confirmed.

"Hum. Good. But let's not be too confident either. Do another round when find a moment today."

"Roger that, sir."

"Blues. Let's go."

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

"By the way. Are you alright, Obihiro – kun?" Oda addressed him.

"Yes, sir. I only need to watch my face a bit to calm down."

"Good. Take a break if you must."

"Understood, sir."

"Ah! And by the way… Uncle Merton brought the Cattie from Kitty Land next door to Yosemite Zoo, property of Yosemite Sam." He pulled a joke all of a sudden.

"Eh… Yes, sir?" Obihiro frowned.

"Oh boy." Meijin sighed.

"Oops." Punk sighed as well.

"Trouble." Enzan and Blues drily muttered.

"And then I found the culprit of the petty theft hiding inside of a drum can: and I used my arts to make them come out!"

"You mean that you pulled up the can and exposed him. I was there, sir, when it happened." Enzan sighed.

"My, my. Looks like I'd already told this one before."

Enzan merely stormed off with Blues inside of the PET: Meijin headed away and Obihiro stepped into the restroom while Oda rubbed his chin, seemingly amused.

"Ah! Kando – kun. I've got news." He spotted a policeman close by and called out to him.

"Yes, sir? What is it, sir?"

"Cattie's coming to town."

"Eh… Yes, sir. And what does that mean, sir?"

"You'll find a kitty on the doorstep."

"Eh… Yes, sir… I see, sir…" He sighed.

"Hmmm… Ah. And the season's guy will show up there and there. To do something."

"I fail to see the point, sir." The policeman argued back.

"Don't worry. We only need to grab the annoying fellows and make them broom 66 km of roads in 6 days."

"Not that Alfred guy again… It drives you mad."

"Maybe so."

"Excuse me, sir. But I've got a job to do. With all due respect…"

"Hum, hum. Slippery, aren't we? By Merton!"

"Hello, Superintendent. De masu." Higure stepped into the corridor from the stairs, coming from a lower floor.

"Ah! Higure. So?"

"We found Judge Man lurking around a parking space 10 minutes away on foot from here… He fled and we searched for Viruses but found none. De masu." Higure explained.

"Hmmm… Maybe he's looking for a place to challenge Legato. Maybe he's trying to pull some trick making use of the place's conditions."

"I thought as much as well, sir." Number Man added.

"Hum, hum. Alright. Thanks for the hard work. But knowing Legato… He'll manage somehow. Remain around the area just in case. One never knows: you might be of help." Oda turned serious.

"Roger, sir. De masu."

"Higure – san, I finished the data analysis. The data left behind says "Aunt Merton will beat Uncle Merton"… Oh no."

"Hum, hum! So Aunt Merton it is… Interesting! By Merton! A match you'd all like to see: Aunt Merton VS Uncle Merton! More interesting that Skull Man VS Shark Man… Shark Man won at the last moment! That was intense yet… It lacked passion!" Oda grinned and got amused again.

"Sheesh. Last thing we needed. De masu." Higure sighed in defeat.

"I suggest we put some distance, sir, before we get dragged in."

"You're right, de masu. Let's go, de masu."

"Send greetings to Math Man!"

"Math Man? Oh come on! Superintendent, sir!" Number Man groaned at the silly name.

"Heh, heh! Uncle Merton's family nickname!"

"Sure, sure. De masu." Higure was skeptical.

"Followed by… Hop! Uncle Merton's charming charismatic smile!"

"Like there's such a thing to begin with. De masu."

Higure headed further deeper into the corridor and Oda chuckled under his breath as he headed to the coffee machine and bought one to start sipping.

"Ah! Some excellent coffee indeed. Brewed by Uncle Merton. Heh, heh. Maybe he should've started a cafeteria. Merton's Café! Maybe I should patent it just in case: I don't want others to beat me to it! Let's be in high spirits and we'll soon solve this if we keep it up. Heh, heh!"

21:08 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hmpf. There you are, Judge Man… Come to get your hide pounded by Grin?"

"Grin? Who?"

"Ask the Mighty Ducks."

"Grrrr!"

"And bringing me to a CCTV camera in Akihara Park isn't too flashy either."

"I don't need to be flashy! I only need to beat you!"

"If you can, that is."

Legato stepped into a CCTV camera's Cyber World somewhere and found Judge Man openly waiting for him: he drew his railgun he'd used when he was disguised under the name of "Hell Two" and quickly began to shoot at Legato with it: Legato jumped around to dodge with ease but suddenly crashed with something invisible: the blow stunned him for a moment and he was hit by the railgun in the meanwhile: he hissed and tried to bear with the pain before rushing for Judge Man only to crash against a similar obstacle again: the attack then shot upwards and bounced off something to land on his back: Legato hissed and tried to go to the right only to find something there.

"What in the… An invisible reinforced glass cage!"

"Indeed! Those two said that there's no need for move names: that we need to evolve. Blame your precious Slur for telling me that!"

"Hum. An unexpected consequence… But knowing you… You can solve this easily enough. Right, Legato?" Slur calmly commented over his radio, unsurprised.

"Y-yes, Slur – sama. Please leave it up to me."

"Whatever you do is FUTILE!"

"Nice attempt. But I know a weakness glass has. Borrowed from Calculus!"

"Who…?"

"Your worst nightmare: the genius!"

"Gnuh-guh-gruh!" He growled something.

Legato grinned and snapped his right hand's fingers: the glass began to vibrate and agitate before it began to crack there and there before all walls shattered away and the glass scattered: Legato rushed for Judge Man and he grumbled as he began to load the railgun: he jumped away just before Legato's Neo Variable Sword could connect: he shot the loaded up attack but Legato formed a Curzdo and blocked the attack: Judge Man grumbled and summoned the Stone Fist: it fell towards him but Legato simply stepped away to dodge it and the ensuing small shockwave: Judge Man swung the electrical chain towards him but Legato merely ordered the Curzdo to block the attack again: Judge Man began to run out of patience and suddenly formed a maze made of concrete walls that spread all across the surface: Legato grinned.

"And you think you can defeat me by playing hide 'n seek?"

"I will!"

"Fine. But I won't play by your rules."

"What?"

"Drill Arm!"

Legato switched the Neo Variable Sword for a Drill Arm and drilled through a wall into the adjacent corridor just a Giga Count Bomb landed where he'd been at and walls rose south and north of it: it exploded without harming anyone as Legato found Judge Man right there: Judge Man gasped and ran away to the south while forming a set of walls to block Legato from chasing: he merely shrugged and began to drill across one of the walls to get ahead of Judge Man: he intercepted him 4 walls later as he was coming up from the south: Judge Man cursed and shot a Tank Cannon: Legato ducked to dodge and Judge Man ran away to the west while forming more walls to block him: Legato was hardly impressed and resume the chase.

"I am tired of such idiocies. Let us put an end to this farce." Slur muttered over the radio.

"Roger. Terrain: reset!"

The ground glowed and all walls were quickly erased revealing Judge Man's location: he shot the railgun but Legato blocked it with a Barrier: he rushed for Judge Man and the guy formed a Swordy Virus to intercept Legato's Neo Variable Sword: Legato and the Virus struggled and Legato merely kicked it away with the left foot before swinging diagonally and hitting Judge Man: he growled.

"Damn it!"

"Is that the best you can do?" Legato taunted.

"Grrr…! Desert Stage~!"

"A desert for _desserts_?"

Judge Man turned the Cyber World into a nocturnal desert imitation: he dived into the sand as a sandstorm began to sweep the area and limited visibility: Legato's shades glowed and he calmly began to look around, unimpressed: he merely stepped a couple steps backwards as Judge Man emerged from beneath the sand using a Drill Arm: Legato simply tackled him with the left shoulder and Judge Man cursed: he summoned "Snam" Viruses (Earthworm-shaped Viruses) that began to jump off the sand and try to attack Legato: he got busy trying to repel them and a blast of the railgun hit him fully: Legato grumbled and activated a Cyclone to blow away the Viruses at once and advance towards Judge Man: the guy dived back into the sand and fled elsewhere: Legato, however, was easily tracking him.

"Little tricks." He grumbled.

"Indeed. The fool underestimates you. Trying to impress instead of trying to think… That is all they can do. How deplorable."

"Roger, Slur – sama."

"Show this fool that this desperate attempt is pointless too!"

"As you wish. Terrain: reset!"

The terrain got reset and Judge Man found himself crawling along the bare ground: he grumbled under his breath and warped to fix his position and appear on his feet while drawing the railgun again: Legato jumped to dodge but Judge Man fixed the angle and shot: the blast hit Legato but he vanished and left a _chibi_ doll of himself on the ground as he flung 3 _shuriken_ at Judge Man from behind: they hit his back and got stuck there for a moment before they fell off: he growled and Legato appeared again on his usual position.

"Terrain! Tundra!"

The Cyber World became a tundra and a violent blizzard began to blow: a roar rang out and an avalanche headed for Legato at a mad speed: Legato merely used his jets to hover over the avalanche and began to search for Judge Man: he heard the railgun's sound and so he turned in that direction and used a Met Guard to shield the attack: he quickly turned around and aimed his Neo Variable Sword at Judge Man's neck as he'd tried to close in while yielding an Assassin Sword.

"Hmpf. The railgun was placed to the left to fire alone and automatically while you tried to close in from the right… But my sensors warned me that you were closing in." Legato told him.

"Damn it!"

"No matter how many terrains you come up with… They're all in vain: because I won't lose track of you." Legato smirked.

"What?"

"I've got IR and X-Ray."

"Damn it. I thought those shades were like sunglasses!" He growled.

"They aren't, fool. Now, how about you give it up?"

"Like I would! I'll make Iris – sama proud of me~!"

"Yeah, yeah. You'll only end up disappointing her."

"Shut up! Tank…!"

"Slow. Hrah! Hyah!"

Legato quickly swung the blade to destroy the forming Tank Cannon and Judge Man hovered away: he tried to switch the weather for hail and make ice shards rain towards Legato but he formed a Salamander and rose into the air to then dive and hit the ground: the heat wave easily wiped off the stage and returned it to normal.

"Shit."

Judge Man grumbled and escaped into the real world: Legato followed suit and found Judge Man standing atop a truck loaded with branches that had been pruned from the trees: he opened the compartment while lifting the cargo area as Legato ran towards him: the branches slid down the ramp and in a rush, hitting Legato and momentarily distracting him: Judge Man landed behind him and tied the chain around his neck to try to strangle him while electrocuting him: Legato growled and formed a Long Sword that he stabbed into Judge Man's right knee: he howled and let go of the chain: Legato disabled the sword's hilt to leave it stabbed on Judge Man's right knee: Judge Man pulled it off and hissed before roaring with anger: Legato merely grabbed him and performed a _judo_ hold to throw him into the ground: Legato panted and put some distance as Judge Man clutched the right knee.

"Legato." Slur called out.

"Y-yes, Slur – sama… I'm alright, ma'am…"

"Hmmm… I think that is enough. The foe cannot move anymore. Come back and have a revision just in case." Slur decided.

"Roger, Slur – sama!"

Legato left the scene while Judge Man growled: Iris showed up there and helped him stand and lean on her.

"I am sorry, my lady…!"

"That's enough. Let's get back to the base… Huff."

21:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… KAHAHAGAHASHAH!"

"What was that, you punk?"

"MALAGAGAGOGO!"

"This punk's annoying me. Not only has he started making a ruckus around the area I also need to go beat the punk up."

"I know, Andy. Sheesh. He seems to be luring you somewhere. Do you have the cache ready?"

"Of course, Miquel – kun. Huh? This entrance… A bowling lane?"

"Crap. Maybe he intends to take hostage the customers!"

"Shit. Last thing we needed!"

Andy was chasing Element Man across a section of Internet City and discussing with Kage in the meanwhile: he was annoyed at being unable to translate Element Man's taunts and spotted the guy getting into a bowling lane building: Andy followed suit as the shutter got closed: the insides were actually empty.

"Ah. So it's a closed-down locale. You think that you'll win just because it's a small building?" Andy grumbled.

"KOKOGORASHAHIGAH!"

"Translate." Andy ordered.

A display formed over Element Man's head and it read "I'm the strongest!" followed by a "smile" emotion-icon: Andy got a twitch over the right eye.

"We'll see about that! Bring it on!"

"Battle Chip, Sword Fighter X! Slot In!"

Andy drew a slightly curved indented red blade and directed a hostile glare at Element Man.

"Hrah!"

He quickly rushed forward and delivered six attack in a row with different angles: Element Man stepped back, growling, and attacked with the Flame Thrower but Andy used the Invisible Battle Chip to attack again without being harmed: Element Man growled again and began to get annoyed: Andy smirked.

"Heh. Reversal of roles, eh, punk?"

"Andy… There is no need to prolong this. Use full power. Both of them: that should make them despair." Slur ordered.

"Your will. Let's go, Miquel – kun!"

"OK! Activate!"

Energy began to flow out of Andy's chest emblem and gave way to a red and black energy "cocoon" about two meters tall and hovering about five centimeters above the ground: all lighting around them suddenly dimmed: Element Man gasped.

"It's too late to regret!" Andy's voice echoed out of nowhere but it seemed to icier than usual.

The "cocoon" exploded and the energy release dropped him into the ground: he managed to look up and gasped at what he saw.

"KUHI~H!"

Andy's new form had an "advanced" look to it yet it also looked terrifying.

The helmet's design was rather peculiar because it wasn't a full helmet to begin with: the sides of it had two gray metallic shapes the form of which was slightly reminiscent of the Alphabet "L" character: a fluorescent green incision had been cut in the part adjacent to the face while the larger segments had a yellow-colored incision cut into it.

The segment covering the head was built using a blackish material and could be divided in four sections: the centermost, built like a triangle aiming south also covered the forehead: it ended over the nose.

The western and eastern sections of the head's protection had been shaped after diamonds aiming NW and NE plus having green fluorescent material running down the sides to join with the "L" shapes.

The rearmost piece was a mere curved segment connecting the lateral pieces.

A gray metallic triangle was drawn on the middle of the head from where a black-colored fin emerged: the fluorescent green line divided it into two unequal portions: front and rear, and the rear one was painted gray.

Andy's hair came out of behind the helmet given how it was a "partial protection" model.

Red thick shades covered the eyes and nose plus a small grayish metallic piece of armor was built to protect his chin and lower jaw: the skin over his neck was black in color.

Andy's eyes, visible under the transparent red shades, displayed a total lack of emotion and they surprisingly had switched to a mix of red and blue as if to display his current "Full Synchro" status.

The chest area had a metallic spheroid protruding out of it and a green-colored incision had been cut on the middle of it: the upper front half was colored in a white-like color while the rear upper half was black: however, the whole lower half had chosen gray as color to be used: the piece of armor below it and connecting to the rest of the body had the same color.

The armor's colors were combined in the rest of the body below the chest segment: the flanks of the body had grey armor with green fluorescent edges while the central part of the body was tinted in pitch black color.

Regarding his arms' design, a black piece of armor covered the shoulders which were encompassed by metallic spheroids: these spheroids were not "complete" spheroids.

That was because they had a cavity from where the arms emerged: a thin fluorescent green circular line was placed close to the upper edge where the armor was colored in black color and formed a dome with a hole at the topmost part of each spheroid.

The inner edge of each spheroid was colored yellow: these spheroids also had an indentation signaling the separation between each half.

His arms' skin was black in coloring while the armor built over his wrists was painted using two colors: black for the upper half and gray for the lower half: a small thin piece of armor emerging from the upper half and shaped like the Alphabet "L" character turned 90º to the right was also present there: the hands' skin was also colored using black coloring.

The legs' armor, however, included two shapes which were a pair of combined cones (fused and aiming up and down) colored metallic gray.

They were set within a green cavity extending from the hips to past the knees.

The colors then split as the outer edge of each leg was colored in gray armor while the inner edge were colored black: a green fluorescent line marked the division between them: the lines then drew another cavity which included gray metallic armor plating inside of it.

The feet armor was split in rear and front halves respectively colored black and metallic gray: a fin formed on the front half and it had a green fluorescent line crossing it on its front.

Two discs having an external black edge, an inner thin yellowish edge and a red dome built on the core were set on the upper ends of the shoulder-mounted-pieces: yellowish energy emanated from them and made them look powerful and imposing.

Lastly, two extensions came out from behind the body which happened to be black-colored frames supporting reddish wings which were made of energy flowing from the shorter starting section to the larger outwards section.

"This is POWER! Black End… Galaxy!"

Andy lifted his hands and formed a small spheroid of blackish energy which he then dropped behind Element Man: it suddenly grew into a large black hole which began to suck everything around it: Element Man tried to resist the pull.

"KU… KUGI~H!"

Andy drew a reddish blade on his right forearm and boosted on forward cutting the air where the foe was at and opening a large wound on his upper chest: he quickly flew past the black hole which suddenly collapsed and the shockwave originating from its implosion sent Element Man flying across the area.

"Guh… Gah…!"

"There's MORE! Red Gaia Eraser!"

"GUGA~H!"

The disks hovering inches from the shoulders flew into the air and then assumed inclined positions aiming diagonally towards Element Man: they produced continuous streams of reddish energy which travelled across the ground drawing the Alphabet "X" character: before Element Man could recover from this attack Andy formed a red beam which he shot straight at him: a gigantic dome-shaped explosion spread on the spot and wrecked a large part of the floor just as lighting began to return to show a crater easily ten meters wide and three deep and filled with the debris: Andy merely hovered over it and looked indifferent.

"… Cancel."

The "cocoon" formed again and the energy flew back inside before Andy returned to his normal form, panting: Element Man mumbled and seemed to faint: a beam of energy came from above and hit Element Man, yanking him upwards towards an open VPN tunnel: it quickly self-deleted.

"That should have been enough. Go back, Andy, and rest."

"Roger, Slur – sama… Let's go, Miquel – kun."

The room became deserted yet Refraction became visible: he looked at the hole and seemed interested.

"Interesting power indeed. An excellent piece of technology…"

 _Those children will soon realize their attempts are fruitless, indeed…_


	16. Chapter 16: Civilization

**Chapter 16: Civilization**

11:03 AM (Japan Time), Thursday February the 8th…

"… Huff. Break time…"

"Sure. Today's Math class felt intense."

"Hmmm…!"

"Hey, Meiru – chan. What's up?"

"Yaito – chan. Come with me. We need to talk!"

"Huh? Y-yeah, gotcha!"

"What's wrong? I didn't do anything!"

"I don't think you're to blame, Dekao – kun…"

The Akihara High 1-A class was trying to enjoy the break time of a normal day: Netto and Saito were looking out into the yard from the windows, Meiru looked annoyed and told Yaito to come with her: she gulped while Dekao wondered what was going on: Hikawa shrugged.

"Let's go!"

Meiru stormed off the classroom and Yaito gasped as she tried to keep up with her: the guys shrugged and headed into the corridor and down the stairs into the yard: Netto, Saito and Hikawa sat in one bench.

"So… Any news?" Hikawa asked.

"Nothing ever since Tuesday… Maybe they're too afraid to show up, even. Or maybe they're boiling their brains."

"What's happened with those Jet – Black Phoenix guys?"

"According to Andy… XY rebuilt them so that they would remember nothing of their past and with a new personality built from scratch so that they would try to be of help. He then choose some fitting Operators across the world and granted those to them. Their battle potential got highly lowered as well." Saito explained.

"So they won't be showing up anymore."

"Yeah. And apparently Laser Man tried to rebel and destroy them all but XY defeated him by deleting him. Had it coming, anyway. The rebuilding wasn't working on the guy and the guy was SO annoying… Still wanting to try to have revenge…"

"On you and Rock Man?" Hikawa guessed.

"Oh no. On Styx…" Saito shrugged.

"Who's "Styx"?"

"Ah yeah. I thought we'd told you… Remember "Charon", the mysterious thief active a couple years ago? That's the guy." Netto explained.

"Ah! True… And Laser Man used the name "Dullahan" back then as well. But wait a minute… Does that mean that…?"

"Yeah. Like you guess." Saito confirmed.

"I see."

"You needn't worry about Styx… I mean, about Atarasei. The guy's on our side."

"… Gonna tell them they're as ugly as a WITCH! As ugly as Dolores Bellatrix!"

"W-well, yeah. But shouldn't we tell the police?"

"HMPF! It's my battle!"

"Oh come on. Let's be realistic, Meiru – chan!"

"Were it so easy! Roll!"

"Uh-oh…"

Meiru came out, discussing with Yaito, while Roll tried to calm her down and Glyde gulped, nervous.

"Netto! Do you know any "Cave's Queen"?" Meiru suddenly questioned him.

"Cave's Queen? Maybe it's Iris…"

"Another meddling type like that Seed woman?"

"More or less."

"Gotta be some granny, right?"

"I don't think so. She's a Navi and I think she could be about our age or a bit older…"

"HMPF! Gotta think she's Miss Universe!"

"Dunno. Don't ask me that." Netto shrugged.

"I knew that! Anyway! Kage – kun is going to beat that gal, right?"

"If she dares to show up, yeah."

"Fine! I'd like to go and tell the gall: you suck! Trying to scare me off and threaten me…! I'd like to blow her away!"

"Violence hardly solves anything." Roll warned.

"HMPF!"

"Oh boy." Glyde sighed.

"Now, now! Meiru – chan. If you get angry then you won't be able to focus on the next lessons!"

"I knew that."

"You don't seem to prove it."

"What was that? Speak for yourself: you were always pulling worthless pranks and all!" Meiru fumed.

"W-well, that's… But I've learnt the lesson!"

"Oh yeah? By drinking water instead of your strawberry milk?"

"Of course not." Yaito fumed.

"Hmpf! Go play Wario Land 3!"

"Wario Land 3? Sounds like a retro game." She frowned.

"If cha can't clear than cha aren't serious." Meiru challenged.

"FINE! I'll show ya how I clear it!"

"You two: stop fighting!" A teacher scolded.

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

"Come with me." She ordered.

"Y-yes, ma'am…"

They sighed and followed the teacher back inside while the guys were hardly surprised.

"Why would that Iris bother to?"

"Maybe she wants to continue what Seed attempted to do: to trigger in-fighting. Maybe she thinks that will annoy Miquel and it'll cloud his mind when in battle. Or maybe it's a red herring." Netto shrugged.

"Yeah. Sounds like it."

"Wario Land 3, huh? I played it once… It was fun and pretty challenging too…" Hikawa recalled.

They climbed back up and spotted the girls coming out of the teacher's room, having seemingly been heavily scolded by the earlier teacher.

"The Physics teacher is as scary as ever!" Yaito sighed.

"Yeah… I don't wanna annoy her anymore."

"Got the lesson?" Roll fumed.

"Now, now." Glyde tried to calm them down.

"Next is… English." Netto recalled.

"Let's do our best, as usual. Hmmm? Mail… From Papa? Ah. He finished a new security patch and it'll soon be available on the official site so we better DL and install it…" Netto read a message on his PET.

"Set a reminder after class." Saito suggested.

"Sure. These patches are important, after all."

"I received the official announcement myself through the newsletter as well…" Hikawa told them.

The guys returned to the classroom to take up their seats: the girls came in next and Meiru suddenly frowned as she spotted a flipped paper on her desk: she picked it up and got annoyed on the spot.

"That gal again! "Nice attempt. Your make-up is hardly convincing."… I don't use make-up!" Meiru cursed.

"Oh heck." Roll sighed.

"Sakurai – san: please sit down. Class is about to begin." The English teacher ordered.

She made a ball out of the paper and tossed it on the garbage bin as she sat down on her post and quickly readied her notebook next to the textbook to take notes: there was a knock and the Physics teacher came into the classroom: she whispered something to the English teacher, who nodded in understanding, and then walked over to Meiru.

"Sakurai. Come to talk to me after the class."

"Good. Today's starting phrase is "I'm looking for the museum."… We're going to continue what we began a couple lessons ago about the formation of present verbs, of actions being undertaken right now. And this is also an example of a word with more than one meaning. Does anyone remember what we said on Monday? Hikawa – kun." The teacher reminded them before directing his sight to Hikawa.

"Y-yes, sir. "To look" is not only "seeing" but "searching" as well. So the phrase means that the person isn't "seeing" for the museum but it's "searching" for the museum." Hikawa calmly stood up and replied to the question.

"Excellent, Hikawa – kun. Well then, students. Let's proceed with today's lesson…"

10:54 AM (Moscow Time)…

"… Groa~h!"

"Run for it!"

"Where'd that come from?"

"Gua~h!"

"Kya~h!"

"Mugro~h!"

"Heck. What's that?"

"I do not know. But I suspect that child's involvement."

"You mean that that Iris girl is involved?"

"Yes. I think it would be better to defeat it. Put on the disguise, Forte."

"OK."

"Hmmm… Ah! I remember. I saw that on a _Godzilla_ movie a lot of years ago… King Gi-something… I'll try to search… King Ghidorah!"

"From _Gojira_ , huh."

Serenade and Forte had been doing some business in the Moscow Internet City when a monster showed up in the middle of it and began to attack: the Navis fled while both calmly looked on: Forte put on his disguise and both rushed for the monster: Forte warped atop its central head and tried to plunge a Long Sword into it but it suddenly glowed and Forte's sword shattered: King Ghidorah violently swung the central head south and sent Forte flying away: he warped back to the ground, some meters away, and cursed.

"It's got an Iron Body ability to protect the heads."

"I see. So maybe we need to blow away the skin to reach the core. It is a bit violent for my taste yet it cannot be helped. We cannot afford the city to be leveled." Serenade calmly decided.

"Alright. You distract it and I'll try to attach a bomb to the body to blow up the skin and expose the core."

"Understood."

Serenade jumped into the air and began to shoot Sonic Booms at King Ghidorah to get its attention: Forte rushed for the body but a tornado formed out of nowhere and pushed him away: he cursed and tried again but this time a _tsunami_ formed and washed him away: he fumed and drew an Elec Pulse Battle Chip which he shot there: there was a yelp followed by something frizzling and Element Man became visible.

"This guy's stopping me from getting close."

"Hum. It is turning somewhat annoying, even."

"Hmmm… I know! Go! Wario!"

"Heh, heh, heh! Wario~!"

"GARI~? GAKA~H!"

Wario showed up riding on his trademark purple car and rammed into Element Man while keeping on driving away: Forte smirked under the disguise and readied a Giga Count Bomb: an electrical chain suddenly formed out of nowhere, coiled around the bomb, and flung it high into the air: Serenade saw it coming so he stopped his attacks and warped away just as it exploded on the air: he landed and looked towards the left where the attack had come from.

"Holy Shock!"

He extended his right hand and greenish spheres of energy formed on the air: they quickly crossed it and began to bombard the position one after the other: some growls rang out and the camouflage got busted to reveal Judge Man.

"They sure are betting a lot on this thing if both bothered to come out to support it." Forte grumbled.

"Guh…! That was powerful… But I shall not give up!"

"Would a real judge have fun harming others?"

"G-guh!" Judge Man grumbled.

"Heh! This guy's more like Book Man." Forte taunted.

"Degrading me, what barbarians!"

"Is that so? I thought you were the barbarians." Serenade shot back.

"Nobody move! Sharo Army!"

"By all the… And we did cut off all accesses!"

"There are a few reserved for the army that aren't in the civilian servers!"

Search Man and his men showed up there and Judge Man gasped: Search Man coolly let out how they were able to come and Judge Man grumbled under his breath.

"The heads are immune, Search Man. You must aim for the core."

"You were Serenade, right?"

"Yes. I do not want to let these fools do as they like either."

"Blues spoke highly of you so I won't complain."

"Good. If you want me to step back, then I shall do so."

"No need to. I think we might need some help."

"The legs and the wings are immune too, sir!" One soldier reported.

In effect: some of the soldiers had tried to shoot at those but the attacks were easily repelled.

"Ah. That young man over there is one of my disciples, Vladimir."

"Fine."

"HEY! Stop chatting and pay me attention!" Judge Man grumbled.

"I shall distract them. You deal with the dragon." Serenade told him.

"Fine. Men! Focus your attacks on the chest! Mugen Vulcan!"

"Roger, sir! Hra~h!"

"Holy Shock."

"Guh! Dark… Guah! Too fast…! Damn it!"

Search Man and his men began to attach the dragon's chest and the attacks made it unable to move or to attack because it was being overwhelmed: Serenade resumed fighting Judge Man in the meanwhile, who tried to shield with his "Dark Aura" but failed to do so: Judge Man warped away and Serenade gave chase into a nearby building's rooftop: Judge Man chuckled all of a sudden and Serenade frowned.

"I can do something that you can't!"

"What would that be? Bragging?"

"Grrrrr!"

"… Eat this! And this! And punch! And kick! I'm as fast as Capt'n Falcon! Falcon! Punch!"

"KUGURIGAGAGA~H!"

Forte had resorted to punches and kicks to brawl with Element Man as they had gotten to close combat and were rolling down some stairs into a nearby plaza: Element Man tried to counter but his attacks were sloppy and slow as if he wasn't used to that fighting style: Element Man warped and began to make lightning fall down but Forte used an Elec Sword to absorb it and disperse it: Forte pressed the ground with the left hand as Element Man was about to shoot his flamethrower: a geyser emerged beneath his beet and inflicted damage: Forte rushed over there and delivered an uppercut to the jaw followed by a mid-air kick into the chest thus making the guy crash into the ground: Element Man growled and formed a Giga Count Bomb that he threw at Forte: he simply used a YoYo Battle Chip to catch it and flung it upwards, making it explode in mid-air: Element Man tried to deliver a punch to Forte but he ducked and tackled his waist thus making him collapse into the ground again: Forte drew a crowbar as Element Man formed a Wide Sword: the crowbar easily shattered the blade and the enemy fumed.

"Had enough?"

He stood up again and formed a circle of Woody Towers around him to protect from attacks: Forte simply threw an Earthquake Battle Chip towards there and Element Man gasped as he escaped into the rooftops.

"Well? Is that your best?" He taunted.

"GHUSHAYAYANYA~H!"

"Cat complex? Go visit the veterinary."

"SHAKYAGA~H!" Element Man growled, frustrated.

"… Why do not you put an end to this worthless game of tag? Running never helps you win. You might try to ambush me but it shall hardly change anything."

"Shut up! I'm the strongest! I'm smartest than that barbarian!"

Judge Man was running away through the rooftops and Serenade gave chase: he used his ribbons to block all attacks by Judge Man and counter with a Sonic Boom each time: a loud roar rang out from close by.

"Damn it. I forgot about the dragon…! If it didn't need to output excessive heat through the skin then we could've covered it all on Iron Body and it'd been invincible!" Judge Man cursed.

"No – one and nothing is invincible." Serenade dully reminded him.

"Grah! Eat this! Giga Cannon!"

"Useless."

"… GUGRA~H!"

"Huff, huff…! Did you have enough? No? Eat these and these and THESE!"

Forte was still fighting and both were pretty beaten up: the guy panted and then directed an annoyed glare at Judge Man as if reprimanding him.

"Next time things will be DIFFERENT!"

"KAGI~H!"

18:39 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Oh yeah! Your hole is as good as ever, Sieg!"

"Heh! Thanks, _Danna_! Hit it harder, Yanada!"

"Sure thing!"

"Heh! Your cousin's as energetic as ever, Urateido!"

"Of course, Eisei! Bruce isn't the type to give up so easily! He can pretend he's behaving at the school but in reality… Ya know!"

Sieg, Urateido and Eisei along with another guy named Yanada were present in an underground room somewhere lit by purple candles thus creating a creepy atmosphere.

Yanada had messy blackish hair and brownish eye irises and was about Sieg's age and height

The room's walls contained all kind of ropes, chains, and S&M accessories plus a lot of sexual toys: the middle of it contained a triangular wooden horse with a metallic top edge and a thick spinning red silicon vibrator built into it.

Sieg was sitting atop the horse and the vibrator was plunging into his ass: he'd been stripped naked and tied in the so-called "turtle shell bondage" style using crimson ropes: a couple of them extended from behind the neck and were tightly tied around Sieg's wrists thus keeping his arms locked.

Sieg also had a black wool blindfold on followed by a small metallic cups on his nipples: each cup had a small 5kg weight attached to below it so that they would pull down the nipples' skin: they were linked a by very thin chain emerging from each one and which conveyed into a small ring: another chain emerged from there and could be pulled.

His balls had some black leathers bands circling it from all sides and emerging it from a small belt on the base of his cock: his cock had a urethra vibrator stuffed into it and which had four legs tied to the base of the cock as support.

Eight clothes pegs had been clipped on both the SE and SW corners of his balls as well.

Yanada was standing on a couple of metallic steps placed behind the horse and sliding his cock in and out of Sieg's remaining ass space: Eisei was pulling the nipples' chain in the meanwhile while Urateido used a ping-pong racket to smack the sides of his balls.

"Heh! Seeing your bro's bossy face makes me feel SO annoyed…! I feel like I'm having my payback on the guy when I fuck you!"

"Sure thing, _Danna_! My hole is there for that! For customers like ya to make use of it!" Sieg grinned.

"Speaking of which, Bruce… You've been keeping quiet at the school, no? Else mom comes scold me because Aunt blames her for your behavior and…"

"I know, Cousin Samuel! I behave and play the defeated: not like I can do much else with so many eyes set on me and everyone treating me like I was a danger… But Leon's junior isn't bad either! I'd like to try the guy out but that's impossible." Yanada grumbled.

"Yeah. Give up. The guy's cousins are on the constant watch and last I want is starting a fight with them and then _aibou_ punishing us with "exile" for some days… And not now, when he's so tense…"

"Why? We haven't done any ruckus." Urateido asked.

"All his attempts to trace those 2 guys haven't worked so he's running out of patience."

"Anyone would… The mood's cooling off… OK! Let's heat this up again! Or else this won't be fun, man."

"Leave it to me!"

Urateido left the ping-pong racket atop a chair and picked a couple candles plus a lighter: he turned them on and suspended them over Sieg's nipples: hot wax fell down from them and into the nipples but Sieg barely reacted: his grin intensified.

"Heat 'em up, yeah! I'm a hot guy! Hotter than some macho guy posing for an advert!" He laughed.

"Sure thing. You're so damned hot." Yanada chuckled.

"Alright, Bruce! Wrap up because your 10 minutes have almost run out and we've got our turns next." Urateido ordered.

"OK! I'm about to let it out! Fill up!"

Yanada made a final thrust inside and released while exhaling: he pulled his cock out and used a handkerchief to cleanse it up before putting it inside of his boxers and closing the school uniform's pants zip: he climbed down as Urateido drew his bigger cock and hardened it: he thrust it inside of Sieg and he chuckled.

"Heh! The big guy came." He chuckled.

"Sure thing… Bruce, keep it up with the candles. Fill the guy's body with wax!"

"My pleasure!"

Urateido began to fuck Sieg while Yanada intensified the wax drop along Sieg's upper body: Yanada suddenly approached both candles to his balls from the sides without making contact: Sieg whistled in surprise and chuckled.

"I'm heatin' up! Nice try but that was in my training too! I got them hitten with a heatened metal rod too! So I'm used to pain on the balls: I did spend 3 years under training!" Sieg proudly told them.

"As expected. Your _ane-ue-sama_ didn't overlook a single thing."

"Of course not! _Ane-ue-sama_ borrowed ideas from there and there! Also electrified my balls and nipples from time to time too! And also did "stand play"… She stuffed me with vibrators all over the body, clogged my cock and left me alone for hours on end to test my mental strength! The most intense one stretched over 24 hours!"

"W-whoa!" Even Urateido was surprised.

"Man! Then the Choina guys who kept me hostage for a year and a half were meek in comparison! More like they were mere brutes who didn't think and relied on mere muscle to tame others!" Eisei whistled in admiration.

"Incredible, man!" Yanada was awed as well.

" _Ane-ue-sama_ wanted to make of me a perfect masochist, the type that anyone would pay a fortune to play with for hours on end! And to bring great pleasure to the customers! And I'm sorta fulfilling my duty here with ya guys." He shrugged.

"Whoa. Women can be scary, man." Eisei muttered.

"Mom looks pale in comparison. Then again she isn't really a sadist, she just picked up into the stuff because it was very easy to make lots of money outta it… And then she told me to take it up… I must be pale in comparison, man!"

"Sure. But you've got a big rod and I love those."

"Heh! Thanks for the compliments! OK! Here I go!"

Urateido snickered as he released inside of Sieg as well and climbed out to yield to Eisei: his cock wasn't as big as Urateido's but was pretty big nevertheless: he also easily slid it inside of Sieg's widened asshole from which some stuff leaked out: Urateido picked a chastity belt from a black plastic bag and looked at it.

"Hey, Sieg! Ever worn a chastity belt? You know, these things to stop you from releasing but that allow you to pee nevertheless."

"Sometimes!" He admitted.

"Thought as much… But… How about we do this? You wear it the whole time and we take it off when you're here. To prove that you really are the slave and that you can't cum without the master's permission."

"Sure, why not? It'll be thrilling. And no-one will notice, anyway."

"Yeah. We only need to behave normally and no-one will spot anything."

"Interesting. I'd heard of those but those guys never got to use it on me: since I was tied up almost the whole time except when I was fed food or I had to use the toilet…" Eisei muttered, interested.

"Heh, heh! Then it's settled."

"I'm almost done."

"Good. The last 10 minutes will be to cleanse up. We did manage to borrow the room for three quarters of hour since there were few scheduled visitors today…" Urateido looked at his PET's clock.

"I know. You keep the belt's keys, Urateido. It was your idea and you bought it, anyway."

"Sure thing. I won't label them in case someone sees them. Maybe they'll think they're the house's keys."

"Fine. OK! Off I go! You must be full tank by now, Sieg!"

"Heh! That was cool, _Danna_! Ya can patent it!"

Eisei also released and came up with a motto that Sieg liked: he climbed down as Urateido stopped the horse's dildo and began to untie Sieg along with Eisei's help: Sieg blinked for little while after Urateido took off the blindfold and he stretched while rubbing his wrists: Urateido strapped the chastity belt into him and locked it with a couple padlocks: he grinned as he looked at a small key-holder with two small keys set on it.

"Feels tight and good! It'll keep me fueled the whole time." Sieg grinned as he rubbed the surface with the right hand.

"Won't it? Heh, heh. I've got some bright ideas from time to time."

"As expected of Cousin Samuel!" Yanada was amused.

"OK, guys. Dress up, Sieg, while we begin to cleanse. We've got about 7 minutes to cleanse it all!" Eisei reminded them.

"Sure thing. We'll soon be done, like always."

"Heh, heh. I'm looking forward to the next session. This is life!"

22:44 PM (Thailand Time)…

"… So, XY. Are the preparations completed?"

"Of course they are, Burai. We finished days ago. The signal is being emitted already."

"Good."

Burai had come to the space-city to talk with XY: he was serious and dry while XY was calm and collected.

"All we need to wait is to see when Duo steps into the Solar System and from which direction… Further analysis of its appearances shows a different route each time. It would take approximately 22 years to reach the Alpha Centauri system and another 22 to return. 44 years in total… Alpha Centauri might be a stop along the way to some other region but it cannot be more than 12 light-years away: the one-way trip would take over 60 years and the return trip another 60 years."

"Ah yeah. Because Duo's max speed is a fifth of the speed of light."

"Yes. And the gap between each visit differs every century but by a margin of 5 to 10 years: sometimes it takes less than a century to show up again. For example: last visit was in 1916 and the previous one was in 1811... The one before was 1714…"

"And you established the years of each visit?"

"Indeed. They are the following: 1608. 1515. 1406. 1313. 1209. 1111. 1005. 910. 802. 704. 607. 514. 401. 314. 206. That is the earliest we found. We have yet to find the 2nd century AD and the 1st century AD. And there were a few others… First visit was approximately on the year 340 BCE. At the age of the Roman Republic… In Asia… There was what modern historians have named the "Warring States Period"… I am not sure what we were doing at the time… I would need to check back our archives… But I am pretty sure that we recorded Duo's flyby back then… And that is when we stopped worrying because…"

"Yeah. You thought he wasn't going to ever come back."

"Our greatest mistake ever. Fortunately we are in time to compensate for that. The strategy has high probabilities of working… I and Master will handle the hard part. You will take care of the comet's systems. Destroy as much as you want. That is why we involved you as well: your high battle potential is useful and we needed extra hands to handle the comet's systems while we take care of Duo itself."

"Will you really be alright? We're talking about what was supposed to be your contemporaries' ultimate creation."

"Far from it! It is like a game that was rushed on its final phase: filled with defects, bugs, and glitches! Those fools hurried up the last phase before the project could be cancelled by the growing opposition… And that led to that disaster! It has a very big weakness which we have studied: we will be making use of it to disable the thing." XY got annoyed.

"S-sorry. Shouldn't have doubted you." Burai apologized.

"No, you are not to blame. It is just that… That thing is like the fools who built up… A killing machine… A machine sans emotions… Very slow-witted… It is actually stupider than you or me. Because they did not want it to think. They wanted it to act upon the orders imprinted upon it. Like a tool. Because it was conceived as a tool, a mere tool."

"Whoa. So that thing is actually dumb?"

"Yes. Because it lacks intelligence to understand abstract concepts or emotional concepts. It might show some interest for a new type of technology and come up with some simplistic plan… But it relies a lot on the comet's own systems… It can remotely operate them, of course. And it was not designed for mobility: it is like a statue that cannot move. So it cannot dodge or warp or run away."

"I see."

"Yet it has some very crude self-defense abilities that might seem overwhelming to others but to us they are but very childish and crude things. We can easily disable those by exploiting program flaws."

"Fine."

"Can I ask you to make a truce with Kuroban and Slur until this is over? I know you no longer treat them as "enemies" but I know you like to spar with them."

"Of course I can. The fate of Earth is at stake."

"Good. Then I want you to stay in Kuroban's Kyutora base along with him, Slur and Gray Thunderbolt. Master and I will head over there in a couple days once we wrap up some final preparations and a few backup plans in case something outside of the calculations happened. You go over the schematics I shall give you and calibrate your attacks to output the maximum radius and destructive power you can output."

"Roger."

"Duo would take approximately a whole day to cross the Solar System from the Sun to the start of the Kuiper Belt. Crossing the portal will only take a few minutes… Once it has crossed that is when we act. We will easily jump ahead of it by transmitting ourselves from our central computer to the Kyutora one using hyper-space transmission. So we can be there in a few hours."

"You've warned the exploration corps not to come close to Kyutora?"

"Of course we did, time ago. They shall not."

"And I guess I'll get there in a similar manner?"

"Yes, Master is finishing re-calibrating the transmission system. Once it is we send you there. Kuroban and Slur are waiting for you. Gray Thunderbolt will come a bit later: Kuroban said he had some things pending wrapping up."

"Lord XY… I apologize the interruption, but…"

"What is it, Refraction?"

Refraction stepped there coming from the underground and saluted: XY turned to speak with him.

"Could you please send a message to the Science Council top?"

"What is it?"

"I once took care of a researcher's children tutoring, about 5 or 6 years ago… We spent 2 years together and I then I got relocated to the research facility… But we exchange messages every a few months… And maybe they will find it off I have not contacted them in so many months. To avoid anyone trying to start up an investigation on their own… Could we send a message to Science Council so that they write a cover for me? Something like I am working on a project in one of the colonies and that we are extremely busy…" He exposed.

"Hum. I see. Yes, we better do so. One would expect them to have something like that already but maybe it did not cross their minds. We do not want anyone sticking out their neck where they do not belong and discover something they should not discover…" XY rubbed his chin and seemed to agree with that.

"Thank you very much."

"It is nothing. I do not want children to get involved in trouble. Not like anything will happen there but…"

"Roger, my lord."

"By the way. Did Master say anything about the re-calibration?"

"Yes, my lord. It is expected to finish in the next 22 minutes."

"It takes that much time?" Burai was surprised.

"Yes. Because there are other aspects of the computer that must be re-worked and the loading up of the energy can be slow depending on atmospheric conditions… It has been some days since the last stream of solar wind energized the atmosphere so…"

"Ah. I see."

"You may leave, Refraction."

"You will."

"One question, XY… Where there ever inter-planetary battles?"

"There were. About 2-3 centuries before my time. The so-called "Colony Wars"… A series of sporadic struggles between the home-world and the colonists… Since technology was practically matched… There was not a clear winner… And after about 5 years of sporadic struggles every some months… An agreement was reached by both parts to stop that. Sadly enough, the problem resurfaced when my age… And it led to that damned piece of scrap." XY sighed, saddened.

"I see. And wars involving a large amount of Net Navis?"

"Oh yes. That was about 180 years before my time. When there still was rivalry between some of the continents… An invasion was attempted only to be countered… A lot of Navis were pointlessly scarified until the other continents intervened and disarmed both sides to place them under control… One of the steps that would eventually lead to complete disarming of the planet and the global government… The ones who began the conflict were but small factions within each continent that did not amount to even 5% of the population… The Ruling Council was founded about 150 years before my time… And in less than 30 years the progressive change began… And it was thought to have culminated by my age… I mean what they thought they had achieved: suppressing emotions and becoming beings moved by rational thinking and study of the Universe…"

"Deeply interesting… Yet… The major question still remains, no?"

"Indeed… Why do we and the humans look alike and have similar genetic make-up? This could be like the "Precursors" in these new _HALO_ novels, the "Forerunner Trilogy"… Some other entities might have attempted to recreate what they achieved with us... Sadly, it is but a hypothesis."

"Yeah… Let's focus on the job at hand. To destroy Duo…"

"Yes… We shall finally be freed of its threat… At last. It has been too long… But now we can put a stop to it unlike back then… When we had to flee…"

"Any day now… That thing's end is coming closer…!"

 _We can't get confident… We don't know what we'll be facing against!_


	17. Chapter 17: Pointless bloodshed

**Chapter 17: Pointless bloodshed**

08:17 AM (Latvia Time), Saturday February the 10th…

"… Pst! Alec. It's me… A potion to become Superman…"

"…makes you weak enough to be brought down by a broom…"

"OK! Password's correct. I'm climbing up."

"Sure, Ernst."

Ernst had come close to a big tree on a forest somewhere and called out for someone in a whisper: the voice replied and he nodded in agreement as he climbed making use of a rope ladder hanging from above: he then sat on a branch and pulled up the stair along with someone else who'd been waiting there.

"Did you have to wait for too long, Alec?"

"No. I just got here 5 minutes ago, Ernst."

Alec, the other guy, was around his age: he had brown combed hair and blue eye irises.

"Good. Did anything odd happen?"

"Hmmm… There was a girl I hadn't seen before visiting the graveyard: she turned white when seeing "that" grave…"

"Huh? But hadn't the Vicar removed the headstone and free the space time ago?" Ernst frowned.

"Yeah, but… Someone had written on the ground using the shoe the text that had been there… She began to blurt something like dead come back alive and zombies but then Father explained to her that was some insult by someone…" Alec explained.

"Who the hell would do that?" Ernst growled.

"Dunno. It wasn't the day before so someone did it during the night, it'd seem. Maybe it was some rascal who thought he could pull a black humor joke."

"Damn it…! If I find the bastard…!"

"Ernst… I understand you're prone to anger, but… This won't solve anything in this situation."

"Fine. Did the girl leave any names?"

"No."

"Did she have brown hair and green irises? Like this girl?"

He drew his PET and displayed a photo of Iris: Alec checked it and gasped, recognizing it.

"Yes, it was this girl."

"Did she ask anything out of the Vicar?"

"She did make some questions… Like if he really believed in life after death, if he really believed in God and if he really believed on compassion… She seemed more or less satisfied with the answers and left… That was yesterday afternoon."

"Yesterday afternoon…"

"Speaking of which… Rumor has it that someone was seen roaming around the remains of the manor but the security cameras showed nothing…" Alec brought up.

"Bah. She hacked them. As simple as that."

"Ah! So she's that girl Net Navi who's been going around and causing trouble there and there?"

"Yeah, the same one. Maybe she was hoping to figure out something about me, some weakness… I'm not afraid of anyone saying I'm a killer: I merely avenged my mother. Those bastards deserved to die." Ernst scoffed.

"A-alright. Sorry." Alec sighed.

"Huh? Ah! My bad, Alec… I just happened to… I didn't want to blame you for anything. You're my best friend."

"Thanks, Ernst."

"It's nothing, Alec. Anyway… I need to vent off… Let's see if I pick up one of the radio trio's gags… Or something else… Some old game… Or TV series…" He began to browse with the PET.

"Speaking of series… What's the status with Pokémon in Japan, Ernst?"

"Let me check… Hmmm… Yeah. BW 112… "Achroma VS Handsome! The Plasma Gang's Conspiracy!"… Introduces Team Plasma and retcons the planned debut some years ago that was cancelled due to that earthquake… That's why the group is suddenly back in town after they were going to leave to investigate after the 3rd gym battle… Because the 2 episodes that were supposed to happen in the in-between got cancelled… I still don't see why they couldn't air them… Maybe it had something related to an earthquake or a _tsunami_ and they though that it might hurt viewer's sensitivity… Similar to why the move "Earthquake" was banned from the anime after a previous real-world earthquake…"

"Wow. So Team Plasma finally debut… Achroma and Handsome?"

"They're the Japanese names for Colress and Looker."

"Ah! The weird-looking guy who talks about PKMN potential and all… And the second was that detective chasing the villains, right?"

"Sure thing. And I guess they will have to wrap this newly begun plot at some point to pave the way for the next generation now that it's been announced… But they still have some months ahead of them. Let's see what they'll do."

"Of course. By the way. What about Conan?"

"Conan? Huh… Next episode is an AO titled "A car carrying a time bomb"… Number 686… Previous one was Part 2 of "Froth, Steam and Smoke"… That was a manga-based episode… And this year's upcoming movie, Movie 17, is "Private Eye in the Distant Seas"… Apparently about some spy infiltrated in the JSDF… And _originally_ referred as "X"…"

"Oh boy. They didn't have a better codename? X is so overused."

"Yeah, I know. Oh well." Ernst shrugged.

"By the way… One of the pals came up with something new… How was it like again…? Eh… "I want to speak with the Big Boss!"… "No, sir, there's only a Little Boss…"… "What decadence!"… Or so I think."

"From big boss to little boss, eh?" Ernst grinned.

"Sure…"

"That reminds me of a gag in M&F… The album was titled… "Lots of Corruption", I think… Mr. Super has had a discussion with M about something and M suddenly says… "By the way, the Boss is at the visitor's room armchair… Wants to speak with you…"… "WHAT? HE wants ME to speak with him?"… Mr. Super gets a wooden stick or something like that and hits the occupant of the chair from behind. He then says something like "Did you learn the hierarchy in the org?"… "I indeed did!"… "E-excellency!"… Turns out it was Felipe González, the Spain Prime Minister of the time… "But, Mr. Super… I said the Boss was there… The Big Boss, the Prime Minister!"… "Shut up! We'll talk later!"…"

"Hah, hah! The Prime Minister is the Big Boss… Man. M could've bothered to say "the PM" instead!"

"I know. Apparently the joke also is a pun with "Government Chief"… And that story's end totally shows how hypocrite politicians are… M & F catch the guy who'd stolen the government money yet M, to do so, burnt up the stack of bank notes to create smoke and lure the guy out of the room… Mr. Super presents the PM with a list of the guy's accomplices. "I'll send them all to prison!"… But when he begins to read the list… "Heavens! The minister of…! The president of…! The VP of…! The CEO of…! And, also… Holy crap!"…"

"Aha. So it turns out other members of his government or VIPs were involved in the affair as well…" Alec understood.

"And in the end the PM tries to say that it was no big deal and exiles the guy into a tropical island… Surrounded by luxury… And since the money got burnt there's no evidence of his activities…"

"Really…"

"Yeah. I think the PM was concerned over how the affair could stain his government and that's why he was so persistent… And to keep the guy's trap shut he sort of submits to the guy's blackmail… So the PM is blackmailed by the thief… Ironic, isn't it?"

"Totally… But then again that happens in reality too."

"And the guy had made such ridiculous budget cuts to the military police… No cars, no guns, no drums, no trumpets… Meager food and pay… And a perimeter wall that fell apart and people began to cross through the perimeter as a shortcut…" Ernst laughed.

"I still find it amazing this has survived 50 years."

"Yeah. Guess that by taking up inspiration in real life happenings… Like the Olympic Games and the Football World Cups… There's always a new album when those happen…"

A bird close by flew away from where it was and both shut up and got tense: someone was walking towards there so Ernst and Alec looked south-east towards one of the forest paths: Iris (without her blue armor but with her classical one-piece dress and boots) was walking up the path while looking dull and uninterested: she looked up towards the three and smirked before heading back: Ernst grumbled and brought down the rope ladder to climb down and try to give chase: he found her standing in a nearby lake's pier and looking at the foggy lake: she turned to look at Ernst while smirking.

"Soon enough… That man will be done for…"

"Fine. Settle it with Colonel but don't butt into my stuff." He grumbled.

"Hmpf. Men will be men…"

"And women will be women." He tried to counter.

She merely shrugged and de-materialized while Ernst grumbled.

"End up this damned farce already and leave us alone. Sheesh."

03:27 AM (Indianapolis Time)…

"… Colonel… Pacing in circles won't solve anything."

"Tomahawk Man's slow!"

"No, you're impatient. It hasn't been even 10 minutes since he went to patrol the outer perimeter."

"Huff. Feels like it was hours ago. Anyway! Shadow Man! Have you figured out anything?"

"Not much. I followed about 20 paths and I always ended up in dead ends in some of point of eastern Asia. And that could be a red herring, mind you, Colonel."

"Huff."

Colonel was impatiently pacing around the quarantine bay he was installed in and Shadow Man, standing close by, merely crossed his arms and reminded him how impatient he was being.

"Trouble, Colonel… There's a HUGE Navi army heading our way… Backed up by M1 tanks, F-16s and Hind Ds… There's gotta be at least 2500 of them!" Tomahawk Man reported.

"Hum. Any marks or flags?" He wasn't too surprised.

"North Korea…"

"Too obvious. There's no way they'd so something like this. It's Iris, who wants to feed up the warmongers, giving them an excuse to produce further weapons… And then expose us and call us "hypocrites"… They surely aren't that hard to beat… Good. We'll try to fight back with the base's artillery as much as we can." Colonel ordered.

"Ok. I'm already back in the base and all entrances have been sealed."

"Turn on the mine-field."

"Mine-field: on. The AAC guns are in position and so are the main cannons… We can start shelling anytime."

"Wait until they step into the mine-field and take profit of the initial confusion… Focus on the F-16s and the Hind Ds too. We don't want them to cross over the mine-field."

"Roger. They'll step into there in about 14 seconds at their pace."

"Good."

"So it'd seem you _can_ use the head and not the blood, Colonel." Iris' voice taunted from several spots at the same time.

"Hmpf. I'll show it to you… My intelligence!"

"More like your attempt to play cool for the audience."

"Hmpf."

"I was born from you. So I inherited your warfare instincts. They were much dimmed when I was in charge of watching over Greiga and Falzer but afterwards I boosted them up."

"So what."

"What was that?" She got annoyed.

"Boasting alone doesn't help you win."

"Sheesh! Whatever! I'll crush you all! Go, my army! Resume advancement! Bombard them!"

There were some explosions followed by the firing of heavy guns: Colonel opened a screen showing the view from a camera mounted in one of the base's guns: the enemy Navis (colored black and having the North Korean flag drawn on the chest emblems) stepped into the mine-field and began to be blown away or damaged: the tanks were unable to advance and shelling soon began to fall around them: a Hind D fell down and crashed into the ground nearby after being hit by an AAC gun: an F-16 followed suit soon afterwards: there were some sudden THUD sounds on the rooftop and screams, roars and other sounds.

"Some weird things have dropped from above and some alien-like freaks have come out of them! There's a lot of them!"

"Hmpf. I borrowed them from the _Halo_ games… The Covenant."

"Is that your best shot?"

"Far from it. I've still got some aces up my sleeves. I haven't been wasting my time… Today you shall know true despair!" Iris seemed to sneer.

"I'm SO impressed. Well?" He called out through the radio.

"They're not that hard to beat… Save for these bulky guys… They seem to have at least 5 times further HP than the others…"

"There are some stealth soldiers too!"

"And suicide corps that run at you having grenades on both hands… Snipers as well!"

There was a sudden explosion close by followed by some screams of agony and yells: Colonel gasped.

"What was that?"

"A beam of plasma fell down from above and took out 13.5% of the base with it, and everything inside that section, be it ally or foe!"

"This is one of my aces. "Glassing"… Plasma bombardment… I'll melt the crust and turn it into "glass"…"

"Devil. Worse than the Galatic Empire's bombardments."

"Be glad it's not the Death Star." Iris sneered.

"Damn it. We need to find a way to bring down the aircraft doing that… Shoot the LRMs! Upwards!"

"Roger!"

"Struggle. I can always spawn more of them. Or recreate the fleet that attacked Planet Reach." Iris taunted.

"Shit. At this rate we'll have to call in the AF… And they'd then get all the glory… This is SO annoying!"

"And here you said you weren't impressed."

"Shut up!"

"Hmpf. Men… How boring they are!"

"Grrr!"

"Hit! We brought down the spaceship thing: it's broken into pieces and scattered around the perimeter…" A soldier reported.

"Phew."

There was another explosion and Colonel cursed: Shadow Man also did the same.

"Did you forget what I said before? That I can spawn them as much times as I want… Now you've lost another 13.5% of the base. Which sums up 27%..." Iris sneered.

"Shit. Tomahawk Man! Are you alright?"

"Somewhat, but… The enemy soldiers, the normal Navis, are stepping in through the destroyed southern section… And there are still those aliens roaming there and there too…! This is BAD!"

"The only choice left is the underground shelter but I'm not sure if it can withstand the attacks of those things." Colonel growled.

"If not you'll have to abandon the base and escape into the emergency shelter server…" Barrel grumbled.

"You're awake, Barrel?"

"How couldn't I? With all this scandal. The whole base's awake. For the time being this doesn't seem to have spread but…"

"Shadow Man… If things get awry I'll retrieve you." Dark Miyabi dully told him.

"As you wish, My Master." He calmly acknowledged.

"This is Thunder Man! I snuck inside of one of those ships and I've blown up the power core! It's about to blow up so watch out for the debris that will fall down around the base!" Thunder Man reported.

"Thunder Man! I owe you one."

"These things are a threat to everyone, you know."

"Indeed they are." Serenade joined the radio chatter.

"Serenade…!"

"This is not for _your_ sake, Colonel. But for the sake of civilization. Do not take this as something personal." He warned.

"Fine." He shrugged.

"And do not intervene. Your place is there, coordinating the base's ground defense. We take care of the spaceships. Hum. This one's core is destroyed as well. Let us go to another one." Alarms and explosions began to ring out on his end of the line.

"Shield and Chain!"

"Dream Sword!"

"Those are Punk and Blues."

"The Japanese Net Police Cyber CID, huh? Fine. As long as we get stop those things from shooting…" Colonel shrugged.

"Sheesh. Talk about damned interlopers. If only you'd stayed there fooling around…!"

"Fooling around? Us? Well then. Why did you not stay at your hideout solving Sudokus?" Serenade calmly taunted.

"What was that? Sheesh. 20 at once! Let's see you try to destroy these before they fire: they only need 55 seconds to load and fire!" Iris challenged next.

"I have a plan… Shadow Clone! Go!"

Shadow Man formed about 15 copies of himself and they all warped elsewhere while he seemingly coordinated them: Iris hissed under her breath as explosions rang out one after the other on her end of the line followed by quick keyboard tipping.

"More, more and MORE~!" She yelled.

"B-but the server capacity…!" Judge Man argued all of a sudden.

"BOOK MEN STAY QUIET AND READ THE QUIXOTE!"

"The _Quixote_ …? My lady…!" Judge Man groaned.

"PAKARIGAGAGA?" Element Man asked something.

"No, that book doesn't make you smarter!" He grumbled back.

"SHANYAMANO!"

"What was that? Bring it on!"

"GO PLAY LIKE PRE-SCHOOL KIDS OUTSIDE, ON THE YARD! LEAVE ME ALONE! OR I'LL MAKE MINCEMEAT OF YOU~!" Iris snapped at them in a threatening tone of voice.

Both gasped and apparently left the room given the sound of a door shutting closed not too far from the source.

"I see. You're broadcasting from the real world."

"Hmpf! But I spent days working on countermeasures to impede you from figuring out the source! Have at you!" She tried to play strong.

"So what. Your servers will soon be unable to produce more ships because they've hit top capacity."

"Hah! I foresaw that too! I hid copies in servers all over the world! I only need to warp them there!"

"Hmpf. It's pointless…"

"What was that? Huh? I can't warp them!"

"I turned on a jamming field around the base to impede any data from civilian servers getting here. Now you can't spawn them anymore."

"Hmpf! Fool! I hid a lot on _your_ servers too! That's why I didn't blow up the real world one… To make you evacuate it, and, in the meanwhile, hid the programs inside the base's servers!" Iris sneered.

"Hmpf. Like it'll make any difference."

"It'll do! Because I readied 500 of them!"

"Hmpf. But the server speed has a limit and so has this very space. You can't upload all of them at once."

"Like I care! Go! Destroy them all! Huh! 20 of them destroyed before I moved them out of…! Damn it!"

"You talk too much and this is the result." Colonel taunted.

"Grah~h! Spawn, spawn AND SPAWN!"

"When will you realize that it's pointless?" Blues challenged.

"We only need to blow 'em up and that's it!"

"Grah~h! I want an ultimate weapon that wipes you all in one blow! I want a Death Star!" Iris hissed.

"Hmpf."

"What now? Access denied? Shit! Barrel rewrote the passwords! I can't access them and I can't activate them either!"

"You underestimated us." Barrel dully taunted.

"Damn you all! Element Ma~n! Go there and unleash your Armageddon! I removed the passwords! Do it! Wipe them out in one blow!"

"KIRI!"

"Hmpf. Fine…"

Colonel warped outside of the base into the rooftop to see how much of the southern section of the base was gone and the ground there had melted to then turn into a glass-like material: a lot of residual data fragments hovered around the air and tons of debris were scattered all across the perimeter: the Navi army was still struggling to try to get past the mine-fields and the guns on the other fronts while the base's soldiers were fighting both the Navi soldiers and the Covenant sprites: Colonel focused his sight in a spot higher in the air.

"There. Aspire Break!"

He flung his cape at a spot higher in the air and it got stuck into something invisible: he quickly jumped towards there and plunged his Colonel Saber through the cape and into someone beneath it: the someone growled as Colonel picked back the cape and attached it: the someone happened to be Element Man and he was clutching his body below the chest emblem as he'd been stabbed there by Colonel: he warped and landed on the base's rooftop while turning on the Fire Mode: he lifted his arms.

"No problem! Meteor!" A recorded voice exclaimed.

"Oh come on. That's from _Final Fantasy 7_ when you use the spell "Meteor"…" Punk sighed as he heard that.

A gigantic incandescent meteor began to fall down towards the base at a high speed and Element Man warped away to avoid the Screen Dividers shot by Colonel: Element Man seemed to laugh as he reappeared higher in the air but then a plasma beam shot down from a Covenant spaceship and pierced the meteor from the top to the bottom: it broke away into pieces which scattered in all directions and none got to hit the base as they hit the ground and rolled around it while further breaking down: Element Man cursed and warped into the ship while Colonel checked around to make sure the threat was gone.

"You can't warp them. But I can. So I decided to use your weapons against you." Barrel taunted Iris.

"Damn you, you hypocrite! What "immortal" Barrel! You're but a mere hypocrite who doesn't know how to keep control of his Navi!"

"Like I care."

"MEN!" She cursed.

"Charmed." He drily replied.

"GIKI~H!"

Element Man fell from the ship as it exploded and hit the rooftop, beaten: Blues landed there as well and he had the Muramasa Blade drawn.

"How stupid. You didn't realize I was letting you hit me in purpose to build up power for this." Blues drily taunted.

"GA…GI…KU…GAHA…GO…!" He grumbled something as he tried to stand up but his balance was precarious.

"Had enough? Then flee." Blues challenged.

"GUGAGIGOGEKEGO~!"

"What? You still think you can beat me? Don't make me laugh."

Element Man grumbled something: Blues noticed something coming so he warped to dodge six beams of orange energy that hit the ground where he'd been at and had been shot from close by: a new enemy had appeared there and wielded some kind of massive and powerful shotgun.

"Meet the Promethean Knight Battlewagon variant! The strongest of them: their Scattershot can instantly kill and disintegrate you if it hits you! Be destroyed!" Iris laughed.

"This can be annoying. My specialty is CQC but when faced with an opponent specialized in shotgun attacks…" Blues muttered.

"Step asides. I'll handle this thing."

"Fine. I'll hunt down some small fry."

"Induct Missiles!"

Colonel drew his missile launcher and shot several missiles at the enemy yet it merely hovered in the air and turned into some streams of light that converged into a single energy sphere to vanish altogether: it reappeared behind Colonel: he simply made the missiles rain down behind him and hit the enemy's back: it got stunned and Colonel simply repeated his earlier tactic of throwing the cape at it to blind it and stab the upper chest: the enemy growled and aimed the shotgun but Colonel was faster and shot the Tank Cannon to push them away and use the recoil to put some distance to shoot out Screen Dividers: the enemy warped and tried to attack from Colonel's right but he quickly swung the blade and split the shotgun diagonally from the SW to the NE.

"Is that all?" He taunted.

"Impossible! The strongest in-game enemy…!"

"In-game. Not in reality. I've got no ammunition limit and I don't need to hide either."

"Gra~h! I'm going to…!"

There was a sudden loud pitched sound and all enemy units began to shudder and vibrate as they self-deleted at a very quick pace: all soon became quiet and Iris gasped in disbelief.

"What was that…? My army, my vehicles…! Even the ones in my servers got deleted…! Damn it! Those 2! It must be those 2!" Iris cursed as she realized.

The line got filled with static and got interrupted: Colonel simply jumped down into the destroyed section and began to assess the damage as Serenade walked up to him.

"I shall be leaving. The rest is up to you."

"Fine."

Serenade and the others left while Tomahawk Man and Shadow Man reunited with him: Tomahawk Man was filled with some wounds and burns and looked like he'd been fighting for quite a while.

"Phew. I need a good rest, man. I'm beaten."

"Good work. As for the base… We can always use the backup files to rebuild it… And replace the fallen men for new ones… What about those spaceships in our server, Barrel? They self-destructed as well?"

"Correct. So we needn't worry about those and I changed the passwords once again just in case." He calmly reported back.

"Fine. Huff. Is there no way to stop this madness from continuing?"

"Unless we find out where Iris is at and catch her, then…"

"Iris…! Stop this madness already… This won't solve anything…!"

22:47 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hum. So this is indeed a Net Police storehouse… Full of confiscated Battle Chips, programs and all…"

"KAKARA~H…"

"If we could bring these back then they could be helpful to turn the tide next time we need to face Colonel…"

"GARAGOGE~H…"

Judge Man and Element Man were inspecting a warehouse full of sealed boxes stacked there and there and having large labels with a serial number, a date, a title, and a summary of contents: the insides were largely unlit and the space was silent: Element Man suddenly seemed to lose balance and fell hitting Judge Man's back: Judge Man grumbled and shook him off.

"What the hell are you doing? You crappy idiot."

"GAMANASHAGAMANA~H!" Element Man was annoyed.

"What was that? Questioning my great intelligence?"

"GASHA!"

"Why, you…! Talk about yourself: never bothering to fix your speech program in the first place! Lazy fool!"

"KEMESHA~H!"

"You want a fight? Fine!"

"SHURYA~H!"

"Stop it already, you idiots! Do you want to annoy me in purpose or what? Just get me something that sounds powerful!" Iris fumed.

"R-roger."

"MA-MAKA…"

"Yet… Iris – sama, this fool…!"

"SETTLE IT LATER! KINDERGARTEN BRATS!"

"K-Kindergarten? My lady!"

"What. More complains? Can you only complain and never do anything that isn't complaining to begin with?"

"W-well, that's…"

"KAGAKAGA!" Element Man laughed.

"You shut up! You failed to do a good job!"

"GIH!" He gasped.

"Grrrr! That guy, that guy and that other guy… They all make fun of me! I'll teach them yet! I've got a last ace in the sleeve but I want to save it up for a special occasion! What I want now is to erase their smug smiles from their faces! By using the stuff here! Move it!"

"Roger and…! Whah!"

A crate suddenly fell and Judge Man barely dodged in time as it hit the ground and made a small crater there as it ended up with the bottom's SE corner stabbing the ground: a rope was attached to it and Element Man was holding the other end.

"You bastard! Intending to attack me! I'll show you yet!"

"MAKARAMEMEGAH!"

"Accident? And what's with that rope, huh? You did it in purpose!"

"MEMESHAJAME!"

"Hmpf! Like I'm going to believe that it had a paper stuck to it that read "pull to open secret room"… Bring it on! I won't lose to your likes, defective experiment!" Judge Man scoffed.

"ARE YOU GOING TO IGNORE ME OR WHAT?"

"Huh! I am sorry, yet…!"

"LATER! I SAID SETTLE THAT LATER!"

"R-roger, yet…!"

"I don't care for that! Yet Man! You can only say that or what?"

"But…!"

"No buts either! Do the damned job!"

"R-roger, my lady…! You got lucky…!"

"I HEARD THAT! FREAKIN' IDIOT!"

"I am sorry, my lady!"

"DO THE DAMNED JOB! JOB!"

Judge Man gulped and quickly opened a box without even bothering to read the contents: there was an e-book there but it turned out to be _1984_ by George Orwell: he quickly checked but found nothing useful there so he scoffed and tossed it inside: he then saw how Element Man had found what seemed to be Greiga's right claw and was trying to hold it because it was heavier than what it seemed.

"Good finding! We can use that to recreate Greiga!" Iris sounded eager.

"Why that fool and not me…?" Judge Man grumbled.

"Because you can only complain!" Iris got annoyed next.

"Yes, my lady…! I obey…!" He sighed.

He opened another crate at random and only found a poster of _Digimon_ _Adventures_ which included a calendar of the year 1999: he grumbled and then saw how Element Man had found what seemed to be Falzer's left wing: a twitched formed over his right eye.

"That's unfair!" He grumbled.

"It's fair! Because you're lazy!"

"Grrr!"

"Search better! Read the damned labels! You're Book Man and you don't read the labels! Don't make me laugh!"

"R-roger…! It's unfair…!"

"MUKI!"

"What now? What!"

Element Man now seemed to have found one of the large crystals that had been part of Nebula Grey's body followed by 3 slabs of one of the chains it had: Judge Man quickly read a box's label and opened it only to find parts of one of Bomber Man's bombs: he growled and quickly opened another: fragments of one of Fire Man's arms were scattered there as well: he fumed and gasped when he spotted that Element Man had gotten a piece of the "crown" the "Gospel" monster had followed by one of the Dream Virus' horns: Judge Man looked about to go mad from the accumulated annoyance.

"This is ridiculous! I read the labels and they say "Bomber Man's ultimate weapon" and "Elec Man's ultimate weapon" and I only find these shards! And he gets all the good stuff! Who the hell set up the crates like this? I demand to speak with the manager: I'll sentence them!"

"See! You can only complain! And it's true that they used to be those guys' ultimate weapons! The label never specifies that it's completed or it can be used!" Iris fumed.

"Were your dreams fulfilled?" A voice calmly asked in a whisper.

"HUH?"

"BUKI?"

"There's someone else there…?" Iris wondered.

"I think that the decoration is excellent. You do not think so?"

"Decoration…? Element Man! Analyze the stuff you found!" She suddenly gasped and seemed to realize something.

"JUKI! … BUKI? GUHI! GAGAMAJAJAKEREGO!"

"What! They're made of plastic and are hollow inside? So this whole warehouse is a joke to begin with?"

"Indeed. Some persons seemed to have fun designing it and constantly inventing the contents to test you two… Like we expected: you have not destroyed each other because that child is there to stop you. You never "got along"."

"XY! You!" Iris hissed.

"Wrong, child… Close yet far at the same time…"

"But XY's the only one that…!"

"Who says he is the only one to address others as "child"? Anyway. We shall soon see if you really think they are useful to you or they are not, child…" The voice calmly replied.

"What are you going to do?" Iris gasped.

"There is no need to panic. No – one shall be harmed."

A barely audible pitched signal began to ring out: both Navis gasped and their bodies suddenly stopped moving as the intelligence on their eyes vanished and they became still.

"W-what? Emergency shutdown signal…? Kuh… I can't let it affect me… Must… shut down… the line!"

Iris apparently managed to shut down the line and then Refraction became visible: he had his hood on so only his mouth and jaw were visible since the rest were hidden by the hood: he looked around and nodded to someone else: the 4 Warriors became visible and they grabbed both Navis to carry them as if they were mannequins: the crates vanished and two capsules with rectangular body and a rectangular Plexiglas cover formed and both Judge Man and Element Man were placed inside: they shut the covers and a small transparent energy dome colored yellow formed around them to impede anyone from coming closer.

"Good. The bait is laid. We shall see what happens. If that child still values them, she will come. And then… You will trace her to her base."

"As you command, Lord XY. We shall soon put an end to this tragedy… Child… You will soon be freed of the hatred… Soon enough…"


	18. Chapter 18: God-slayers

**Chapter 18: God-slayers**

05:57 AM (Japan Time), Sunday February the 11th…

"… W-will we really be OK? _Aibou_?"

"Sheesh. How many times do I need to tell you, Gray? We only need destroy the equipment! XY and Helios are the ones who will be facing that abomination."

"B-but… Maybe it can wipe you out with a thought or without moving from there… Worse than the Didact, even!"

"Shut up. If they say that the thing is actually dumb and a piece of junk then we've got nothing to fear. It'll soon be unable to do anything apart from speaking or thinking."

"Really. Is that the best you've got?"

"Guh…! How can you be SO calm? The opponent's a WMD!"

"I know. But you haven't slept in cold sleep with Ra Mu's pressure upon you for 5 years."

"Focus! Our target is less than 3 minutes away from crossing the portal and appearing here. I will immediately switch the portal's destination before we jump there. XY?"

"Yes, Master. All is ready. The change only takes 8 seconds. And Duo will be focused on us."

Kuroban, Gray Thunderbolt, Burai, Helios and XY were standing inside of a room: Gray Thunderbolt had been arguing with Kuroban until Burai scoffed: Helios then called for their attention while XY reported something.

This room contained a small dome with eight triangle-shaped view windows set on its walls: eight straight lines spread across the upper surface and were covered in a metallic grid.

The main room contained several chairs set in a circle so that the view from the view windows could be enjoyed.

Two curved stairs climbed along the column to the top of the room where a command metallic cushioned armchair was placed: several graphs and holographic screen floated around it.

A planet could be seen through the windows: it had some large land-locked frozen water masses and plenty of permafrost and ice on the caps: the room was orbiting around it so the view was constantly changing.

A mysterious round body of energy colored purple at least a kilometer across hovered in space to the NE of the planet and some distance away: a black thick and smooth ring with a plain surface surrounded the energy body.

"About a minute and 39 seconds left… Portal destination change: on standby." XY reported.

He was looking at a hologram in the center of the room depicting the planet, the ring and a dot approaching the ring from the right side: its position was constantly updated and some glyphs seemed to indicate several factors about it.

"Creator…" A dull voice boomed out of nowhere: it didn't seem to transmit emotions yet something about it was imposing.

"That voice…! It indeed is the one in the records, registered by the ships around the home-world back when that day…!" Helios hissed: he seemed to be furious, for once.

"Indeed…! Like we had calculated: it has recognized the signal being beamed as ours and has been following it… That is why it has flown past Earth, ignoring it, and come all the way here… We knew that this station's transmitter, combined with the planet's city computer, would be powerful enough to call for it beyond the Solar System…" XY muttered.

"It should be about to show up anytime now. Let's get into position and get ready." Kuroban told them.

They all nodded and warped to appear atop a yellowish road made of energy: it was going into the energy body but the group merely remained stopped some tens of meters away from the mass.

"It should cross in the next 19 seconds!" XY reported.

"Good. You know what do. Destroy anything on sight. Hold nothing back: we will take care of the thing itself, as agreed." Helios reminded the other three.

They merely nodded in agreement: a strong blue glow began to emerge from the energy body followed by an even brighter white glow: a large comet quickly began to emerge from the energy body: the energy road glowed and a new one formed heading for the comet's nucleus: the group quickly slid across the road while hovering over it: they crossed through the comet's tail and plunged into the nucleus: a very bright white glow ensued.

"… Hmmm…"

"By all the…"

"What in the…"

"Damn. I take that of before back."

"Here we are, Duo! You have come."

"The time to undo you has come!"

The next second, the group was standing inside of what seemed to be the middle of outer space given the images of galaxies, planets, stars, comets and other bodies scattered all around them: Duo was standing right in front of them.

"… Creator… Your planet's network followed a faulty evolution: it was a civilization which could not exist. I shall remove any Network civilization which harms the Universe…"

Duo's mere presence was commanding and imposing: Helios and XY didn't seem to be affected while the other three seemed to feel the pressure it released: the blank eyes and the dull voice seemed to portray that it was an existence without emotions: XY glanced over his right shoulder at the other 3: they nodded and warped away without wasting any more time while the other two resumed facing Duo.

"You are one to talk, ultimate defective! We know your greatest defects: and we shall show them to you… Before we undo you! To free the Universe of your threat!" Helios grumbled.

"Futile." Duo immediately replied.

"I wonder about that. Hrah!"

Helios extended his right hand forward and aimed it towards the piece on the center: Duo's body suddenly frizzled with bluish electricity and its eyes glowed with a white glow.

"Your core's energy processing is far from perfect. It barely can remain stable through a very crude safety system built in a rush and that never underwent any testing. So I have bypassed it and made you energy turn unstable."

"… Futile. Huh? System does not respond. Why?"

"Easy. Those other 3 are destroying the systems as we speak. But you cannot stop them. The control system is already destroyed. You cannot change course. And it has no repair system either."

"Network Navigators are but the legacy of a flawed Network civilization. I shall… erase you Network Navigators." Duo stated.

He tried to do something but nothing happened: Helios took another step forward and extended both hands forward: the legs suddenly got deleted but Duo simply hovered in the space as if it had never needed those: Duo made a grumble-like sound and formed what seemed to be a "face" made up of energy with white eyes and a furious expression: it flew for Helios but XY simply flew towards it and flew through it: the energy dispersed and died down.

"Its power is only 15% and it was hardly stable. That was one of your self-defense systems but they will not change anything. You are unable to access over 60% of the comet's systems. The so-called "Cybernetic God" is but a load of junk. Reality always overcomes myths. You were feared because you had the ability to delete planets but… You have lost it. And most of your time-space abilities too." Helios told Duo.

"…You Network Navigators are existences outside of any calculation… Even for the absolute Duo… And thus I cannot allow you to exist. You shall be deleted!" Duo replied.

"You indeed are DUMB. You are obsessed with the idea that you are a God and that you are invincible. You are not either of those. I said it before: you are the ultimate _defective_. A result of re-awakened greed and arrogance and folly… The madness of the Commerce Guild and the Ruling Council… A tool to oppress the colonies and to rule over other planets, other civilizations… To steal their resources and technology… Built in a rush and launched into space without a proper final check because the fools that built you thought they could be stripped of their authority and the project taken up by the Ruling Council…"

"Outside of calculation."

"Over 90% of the systems destroyed. We can activate the portal's "pull mode" at any time now, Master." XY reported.

"Good. The way out is secured?"

"Of course."

"I am eternal…" Duo proclaimed.

"Eternal? Far from it. Today will mark your end. A fitting end indeed!"

"We should be ready in the next 42 seconds."

"Excellent. In less than one minute from now… Duo! You shall meet your end and be undone! My contemporaries made you and we, the only survivors, will undo you! To protect the Universe from your threat! But this not revenge. This is our duty."

"Outside of calculation."

"There it goes again. But then again, a piece of junk sans emotions and a small brain can hardly realize what will happen next." XY fumed.

"Indeed. So?"

"… I confirm destruction of all onboard systems, Master. They did it."

"No wonder. It was an easy task: I did give them the schematics of the comet's insides so that they would not get lost in the "boundless" rooms placed inside of this thing."

"The camouflage has stopped working, too. Children! Go ahead and get outside. We will soon follow suit." XY commanded.

"Roger." The other three replied over the radio.

"All systems have stopped…? Outside of calculation…"

"Hmpf. Farewell, ultimate defective! Be undone! Energy core: begin overload! Absorb without limits all cosmic energy! And then implode like a star! Wipe this piece of junk out!" Helios exclaimed.

Duo's body began to vibrate and something inside of it began to emit fast-paced bluish flashes.

"This way, Master!"

"Gu… Guo~h…!" Duo muttered.

"Hmpf."

Both XY and Helios warped outside into the energy road to meet up with the others: they were in a different position by now and the planet was barely visible far, far away: the portal was too small to be seen from this distance too: and the comet had vanished to reveal a spaceship.

This spaceship's design was odd: three quarters of it had a stalactite form while the other quarter was a pyramid made of various circles piled each on top of the other which turned smaller in size as they reached the top: the first part had a bluish color while the other had a rather gray metallic color.

"Whoa. We're this far away?" Gray Thunderbolt gasped.

"It's a fifth of the speed of light. That means over 3.5 million kilometers _in 1 minute_." Kuroban reminded him.

"If we're so far away then how is the portal gonna suck this thing up? It cannot change course anymore, no?"

"That is calculated. Look."

A new energy road formed, coming from the planet, and plunged into the spaceship: it began to be pulled away at a mad speed and it was soon out of sight: the group then travelled across the road at a similar speed, too fast for the eye to keep track of.

"This Wave Road allows us to travel at 90% of the speed of light. Duo's comet is being pulled at that speed too. So it will soon be sucked up into the portal. We changed its destination momentarily." Helios explained to them.

"Where? The Sun?" Burai asked.

"No. The giant black hole on the Milky Way's core."

"E~H?" The trio gasped.

"… The portal will toss the comet at about 1 light-minute from the horizon of events, the point of no-return. With the built up speed, in less than 1 minute… Duo shall be pulled into there… And the gravitational forces shall tear the comet apart at the same time he blows up and is deleted. So even if something were to remain of it… It will be forever unable to escape from the black hole." Helios explained.

"We did think of the Sun or another star yet… There might be some coincidence like the angle or the speed that may actually cause it to be boosted away… Even with Duo gone… Someone could eventually find the thing… We cannot discard the existence of a highly advanced civilization out there. So this way is safer." XY argued.

"Apart from yours?" Gray Thunderbolt timidly asked.

"Yes. Apart from ours…" Helios confirmed.

The group was coming closer to the planet and saw a space station orbiting it: the space station was shaped like a circle with four cylinders coming out of its north, west, east and south points and was about five meters tall: the station also had four large plasma engine muzzles on the corners between the cylinders.

The top of the main circle had a small dome with eight triangle-shaped view windows set on its walls: eight straight lines spread across the upper surface and were covered in a metallic grid: the whole set looked about thirty meters long and twenty wide while the cylinders seemed to measure about twenty meters of length: each had had three windows on both sides and one of the ends contained a large hatch.

The whole thing was painted navy blue and white and contained some blinking lights around its frame: the station was obviously moving across its orbit.

"Inside we go."

The group passed through the viewing windows of the main room and landed there: they were just in time to see the spaceship (Duo's comet) about to be pulled inside of the portal: XY looked at a new graph displaying the spaceship: a red dot formed inside of it and a warning sign formed before it vanished.

"Core implosion confirmed. Duo is gone. Completely. The only thing left is the grave. But that will soon be gone too. Portal crossing in 7 seconds. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1… Crossing through… Crossing time: 2 minutes 37 seconds. The length of the tunnel has grown, of course, yet we have found how to speed up objects within it by triggering a "hyper-space" phenomenon, similar to how we do with transmissions." XY reported.

"Hum. We cannot proclaim victory yet. We must wait for the confirmation that it has finished the crossing. A probe is travelling along the comet to monitor that the comet is indeed sucked up by the black hole. Once we confirm its destruction… Then we can call it a success."

"Will you tell the home-world and the colonies?" Kuroban asked.

"Only the Science Council's top, who are in charge of keeping our existence a secret. It will be a good morale booster…"

"Crossing will finish in 1 minute 13 seconds."

"Hum. We must not be impatient. We must patiently wait for the confirmation… The signal from the probe is valid?"

"Indeed. 54 seconds…"

The group tensely waited as they saw two dots travelling along the holographic tunnel: they exited it after some seconds and a red ring was drawn at some distance: the display switched to live view of the spaceship tumbling upon its axis and heading for a mass of absolute darkness.

"39 seconds to event horizon crossing. The probe is catching up the heat signature inside of the comet, the remains of the earlier explosion. When that signature vanishes or disperses… That will be our confirmation that the comet is gone. 27 seconds."

The group seemed to hold their breaths as the dot headed for the red ring and it was getting closer and closer: the dot crossed the red ring and instantly vanished altogether.

"Signature gone. It cannot be picked by radar, IR or X – Ray. We have succeeded, Master." XY calmly reported.

"Good. Perform another scan."

"On it, Master. Searching… No metal signature… The only thing that can be picked up is the energy released and trapped by the black hole… The probe's shielding shall not resist that much longer. I shall reset the portal to its initial configuration."

"Do so."

XY inputted some commands using the holographic control panels: a map of the Milky Way formed and it displayed a red line stretching from a spot in one of the arms to the core: that line receded and then changed length and orientation as it aimed for the Orion arm: they could see how the real-world portal emitted a brief purple flash but apart from that it hardly changed: XY did some analyses and looked satisfied.

"Probe confirms that the portal has correctly re-formed on the Kuiper Belt of the Solar System. We can go back anytime now, Master."

"Good. Come to our city. We shall talk about the next things to do."

"Let us go. I assume Refraction will soon have news for us…"

"I can't believe we were able to defeat that thing." Gray Thunderbolt muttered.

"We could. Because it was a piece of junk relying on a heap of junk. And dumber than you or I." Kuroban shrugged.

"Heap of junk? All those gigantic capsules and systems and all? Was there really the need to make them so big?"

"The builders were arrogant idiots. They surely thought "the bigger the impressive" or something like that. Like those fools who design a product that has an appealing look but then it turns out you cannot figure out how to use it. Or a website hard to use that is only there to try to appeal as "up-to-date"…" Helios calmly replied.

"It might be a piece of junk for you two but… It could wipe out whole planets, you know?" Burai pointed out.

"Yes, we are not saying that it was not a threat. It was a threat indeed! But since it was a piece of junk its behavior was childish and simplistic and we were able to predict its next visit. Fortunately enough! My paranoia paid off in the end." Helios sighed.

"Yes, Master. Sometimes it does pay off."

"Well. We can discuss that when we get back to Earth." Kuroban tried to wrap up the discussion.

"Indeed. Let us go."

They warped inside of the space-station's main room and XY interacted with the central computer to input some commands: a map of the Solar System was displayed and a red line emerged from the Kuiper Belt and headed for Earth.

"This transmission will not be detected. I added some "background camouflage" to it to make it look like solar wind."

"Good job. As speedy as light, even." Helios chuckled.

"Thank you, Master. Well then. Let us depart…"

06:58 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff, huff… Damned energy field! I used all kinds of attacks and weapons and items but I can't shatter it! It's tougher than I thought… I'm wasting a lot of time here but… I don't want this to end! I still haven't fulfilled my revenge…! Huff, huff…!"

Iris was panting as she tried to break the energy field that kept Element Man and Judge Man trapped: several tools like a chair, a crate, a crowbar, a drill, a shovel, a desk, a drawer and so on were scattered inside of the warehouse.

"Why don't you put a stop at this, Iris? It's pointless."

"Rock Man!"

"Been a while. So?"

"Hmpf! Says the coward."

"Leaving the Net Police is not being a coward. I think you're committing the same misunderstanding everyone does."

"What?"

Rock Man stepped in and crossed his arms as he dully addressed Iris: she got annoyed and fumed.

"I never fought for "justice"."

"What? Then what for?"

"Because they left me no other way. Because I wanted to put an end to it, to go back to normal… To go back to the everyday routine. And when the fighting finally ended… As a sign that I didn't want to get involved anymore… I left. To live a normal life." He shrugged.

"Hmpf. Did you really think that that would impress me?"

"No, of course not."

"Then you're wasting the time. Get out of my sight before I think it twice and make pieces out of you."

"Iris. Suppose you achieve your revenge. What then?"

"Huh? W-what are you talking about?" She got nervous.

"What will you do after? Will that bring you happiness? Will that heal your pain, your suffering? Will that satisfy you?"

"O-of course it will!"

"Will it erase the past?"

"Yes! It'll mean that I've overcome the loathsome past!"

"You're avoiding the topic."

"Shut up! If I say so then…!"

"Are you the one who writes the rules of life?" Rock Man questioned.

"What does that mean?" She got annoyed.

"You cannot change it: cannot change what you will actually feel after you fulfill your so-called "revenge"… You will feel… emptiness. Loneliness. Despair. Depression. Sadness. Because… nothing will have changed. The pain won't be gone. The good times won't return."

"S… Shut up! Shut up…! SHUT UP!" She hissed as she grimaced and began to shudder.

"Your reaction proves it. That you know it but try to avoid the topic because the mere thought of it fills you with angst… So you're actually aiming for an endless "revenge"… To avoid that finale… To avoid having to face those…" Rock Man dully pointed out.

"What would you know?"

"I know. Because I was tempted to do so. On Blues, Search Man and Colonel."

"W-what? You're kidding, right?"

"Do I look like it?" His glare had a hint of anger to it.

"W-what the hell?"

"Blues triggered my "Saito Style" rampage… Search Man attacked me because the idiot couldn't tell me and Rock Man DS apart… And you know what Colonel did… They all triggered something that made me look like a danger to others…" He icily hissed.

"Wait a minute… Then… The reason that Andy guy attacked them some time ago, when Golden Star had begun to emerge… That guy did it in your stead?" Iris gasped.

"Yeah. He did it. But it wasn't revenge. It was simply punishing them for being so arrogant. To punish them for their sins."

"Hmpf! What a waste of my time. And here I thought you were going to admit you were like me, an avenger."

"Because I realized revenge wouldn't change anything. And it hasn't. But I didn't get obsessed over it. Neither did Andy. One lesson was more than enough." Rock Man shrugged.

"Hmpf. You're too _naïve_."

"I'm not. You're the one who is _naïve_ , thinking this can go on forever. It won't. Look at those two. They can't stand each other. And they've failed you so many times… Why bother to expose yourself, then? If they were so annoying then you could've simply left them here."

"T-that's…! Because I don't want it to end!"

"So you're admitting to what I said: that you're trying to make of this an unending revenge… To escape the emptiness…"

"Gruh… Kuh…!" She hissed.

"Iris. Hatred only fuels further hatred: it's an endless spiral. Nothing is solved through hatred. Wars barely solve anything. They are a pointless waste of lives. Triggered by hatred and other negative emotions. Toss away the hatred. Just live. For your sake."

"Leave me alone…! I will make that man pay for my suffering! Speaking of which: why didn't you do anything about it? Huh? You didn't try to figure out what'd happened to me, did you?"

"That's because I thought that you and Colonel would remain fused so that Colonel could bring out the whole of his power… I didn't know they'd only taken the power itself and left the shell, that is, you, behind. Or that they were using you as blackmail material. I didn't want to be involved with Colonel or Search Man anymore."

"Hah! And then you ran away."

"Run away? Me?"

"Yeah! You were missing for almost a whole year!"

"Wrong. I was almost wholly deleted. But someone rescued me and kept custody of me until I'd fully healed. Isolated from external outputs, so that I could enjoy the pureness that still remained within me. The childhood that still remained on me…" He corrected her.

"Childhood? Hmpf. XY and his cronies!"

"Come on, Iris. Let's be reasonable. Meddy isn't to blame for what's happened to you… And since you purposely allowed them to heal Colonel… What point is there to keeping her hostage?"

"Something you men would never understand. It goes beyond my revenge… It's my pleasure! My joy! The thrill that comes with it: like I'd let go of that so easily…!" She turned eager.

"That's exactly what sadists says."

"I'm not a sadist! I'm a Queen!"

"It's the same thing. Dominant women in the S&M world are nicknamed "Queens" as well. But instead of being a consented play between two parties, you're merely torturing her."

"Torture? Hah! That's training! To turn her into my servant!"

"Torture is torture." He began to get annoyed.

"Oh? That tone of yours… I see… Some dirty men must've tried to tame you as well, to turn you into their servant… But they failed at it. As expected of men. They always fail at these."

"Women also fail. I know of some cases. And you usually brought up one of those cases."

"Sheesh. Tetsukai & company were pale _amateurs_! Not real Queens! They relied on mere strength and muscle! Like the men that tried to tame you! But I'm subtler!"

"Oh yeah? I know of a couple women who spent 3 years trying to tame other men but failed in the end."

"W-what? Huh…! They lowered the guard!" She improvised.

"You speak like you were Miss Perfect."

"Enough! Come to these… I'll do this!"

She suddenly hit the floor with both punches and a section of it, the one with the dome on it, split off it and began to hover upwards: the Promethean Knight Battlewagon appeared there and tried to hit Rock Man with its blades: Rock Man dodged while Iris smirked: a portal had opened in the ceiling and Iris vanished inside of it: Rock Man calmly shrugged and jumped away to dodge the enemy's attacks: he formed the Giga Cannon and shot it at the enemy as it rushed for Rock Man: the blast stunned it momentarily and Rock Man formed the Dream Sword next: the enemy teleported behind Rock Man but he simply swung the Dream Sword backwards to slice the enemy in two: it got deleted and he sighed in relief as he stretched.

"Rock Man! Everything alright?" Netto asked.

"Sure. She behaved as we expected. Refraction will soon tell us her location since he was hiding inside of the dome and waiting for Iris to drag those two to the base… I'd say we ask Roll – chan to give us a hand: she should handle Meddy's rescue." Rock Man suggested.

"Sure. Let's go speak with Meiru: maybe the park will do since there won't be that many people..."

"Yeah. Just in case Iris attempts to listen into our phone calls…"

"Gotcha. Let's go! Plut Out!"

10:49 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So? What's that "favor" you want to ask out of me, Netto?"

"It's actually a favor we want to ask of Roll."

"Of Roll? What is it about?"

"It involves that Iris girl…"

"That gal who dared to threaten me, huh? So?"

Netto and Meiru plus Saito were talking in the park: Netto and Meiru were sitting on a bench while Saito stood to Netto's left.

"She's got a girl hostage. So while Rock Man settles the score with her, we'd like of Roll to rescue that hostage girl."

"Alright. Leave it to me. Where should I take her to?"

"The Science Labs. A lady researcher will take her of purging the painful memories and repairing her Navi frame."

"OK."

"Once you've taken her there then come back just in case. If we can capture her then we'll need your help to purge her memories and reset her to a purer state." Saito instructed next.

"Why don't we ask that same researcher to do it?" Meiru asked.

"We don't want that to be known. It's actually an idea by someone else who will become the custodian." Netto admitted.

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"That XY believes that, without her hatred and desire for revenge, she could become an excellent Navi. Her analysis capabilities are also very good. So he wants to have her become one of his subordinates."

"Is he in love with her or what?"

"Far from it. Because XY doesn't know what "love" is and has never experienced it either. He's a scientist, after all."

"But helping that gal…"

"Having a grudge with her won't solve anything. She's just trying to play strong but in truth… She's confused. She doesn't know what do with her emotions. That's what Mama said once we talked it with her." Netto told Meiru with a sigh.

"So we should give her a chance to redeem herself?"

"Yeah. Free her from that suffering… So that she can be happy… And live her life… For her sake."

"Fine. I'll help you out."

"Thanks. I owe you big."

"We're childhood friends: we help each other. You rescued me from Tetsukai's accomplice… And made me a trustee of your secret… So I want to help you… Sorry for that of before, it's just that… My pride clouded my judgment…" She smiled at him.

"You should be on the lookout for that, true. Pride can easily cloud one's judgment indeed. Anyway… When we do it?"

"In some hours' time, as soon as we get info on her hideout. Fortunately we're not too busy and we finished most of the homework yesterday so we can afford to dedicate some time to this." Saito checked his PET and the schedule.

"By the way… This will be a secret from the others, right?"

"Yeah. It's for their sake."

"I know… Yaito – chan might slip it accidentally when she gets in her joker moods… And let's not talk about Dekao… Looks like the guy's finally behaving, but…"

"Hmmm… Maybe we can tell Tooru – kun: he's also a trustee so… And some others… But we'll try to keep it limited to people who are prone to keeping secrets…" Netto muttered.

"By the way. Did Alfred meet Ms. Bad already?"

"Huh? Oh come on. That silly joke… "Good! Mr. Good is here!"…"Scary~! Ms. Bad, come to the rescue~!"… "Bad! Ms. Bad is here!"… "Saved!"… It's so stupid, really." Netto sighed.

"Heh, heh. Maybe that Mr. Good is not as good as he pretends and Ms. Bad is actually kinder?"

"Could be." Saito shrugged.

"I'm skeptical myself." Roll muttered.

"Huff, huff… Hikari – kun! Where's Element Man?"

"Huh? Miquel? What? Element Man? Isn't here."

"What? But I got a mail by Sakurai – san that…"

"I didn't send any emails. And I don't know your email address either!"

"See, that's why…"

Kage suddenly rushed there along with Andy and began to look around as he stopped to catch his breath, Netto frowned and Meiru looked puzzled while Andy rolled his eyes.

"Yaito doesn't know it either." Netto recalled.

"Ikada – san, maybe? Or Tozukana – san?" Saito suggested.

"Or Iris." Andy warned.

"Maybe she feels confident and now thinks she can imitate Takatoo Youichi and literally be "Hell's Puppeteer"…" Netto thought aloud as he rubbed his chin.

"Oh heck. Why didn't I think of that before?" Kage groaned.

"I understand your concern, Miquel – kun, but… Rushing out of _Purgatory_ using a Dimensional Converter and sans a plan… We did tell Boss and he asked Legato to be on standby so…" Andy sighed.

"If you were looking for a culprit… Then it was me. A little random idea: I wanted to test how fast you could deploy in an emergency…"

"Huh? Slur – sama!"

Slur suddenly hovered towards them while looking calm and admitted being behind the mail.

"You pass the test. I knew you were qualified, of course, but a simulation could bring out new data."

"Is that so? I understand, Slur – sama."

"And, also…" She seemed to trail off in purpose.

"I understand, ma'am."

"Good."

"She does give off pressure…" Roll whispered to Meiru.

"Yeah… I can feel it too…"

"It's no joke!" Netto nervously warned.

"Yeah… This pressure is overwhelming…!" Saito added.

"You two will be a backup team. Just in case." She told Kage and Andy in the meanwhile.

"As you command!" Both confirmed.

"Good. I shall be going."

She became the energy stream and jumped into her "portal" before vanishing: everyone sighed in relief now that the pressure was gone: Kage stretched.

"Huff. Talk about a trip made in vain." He grumbled.

"Can't be helped." Andy shrugged.

"Good morning, gentlemen."

"Hi."

"Ah. Raito and Leon… Going for a walk to the mountains? It'll do you good for the health!"

Raito and Leon happened to be crossing through the park so they stopped to say hi.

"By the way… It'd seem Burner Man got to Top 1 yesterday in the paint-ball match…" Leon commented.

"No wonder." Kage shrugged.

"Yeah. As expected of the guy… Maybe he's looking up to how BIG SARU makes use of the GRU soldiers' incompetence… Like slowly creeping closer and then running for a second to create footsteps and distract the guy making him look elsewhere… Or taking a pose right next to the soldier or covering the back… It's amazing how he seems to know MGS3 from the inside out." Netto grinned.

"Yeah. He always comes up with something new… Sometimes a bit gross or too cruel but… It's the guy's form of proving the game's got countless means to do something. Or using chaff grenades to create an imitation of snow on his annual Christmas videos…" Andy shrugged.

"But you can't deny that MGS3 has some fun radio chats… For example… When you put on Raikov's uniform but no the mask and radio EVA… She says… "Your face's bad!"… Or when you put on the Crocodile Cap and everyone save EVA makes unexpected comments…" Saito laughed.

"Heh. I liked The Boss. She was a tragic character, yeah, but at the same time she felt so strong all along the game. Even that Volgin guy feared her strength. Slur reminds me of her in the aspect of being so strong everyone fears her…" Meiru smiled.

"Yeah. Sure does." Roll shrugged.

"Anyway. Good news: this mess will soon be over." Netto summed up.

"Excellent." Both Raito and Leon calmly nodded in approval.

"Hum. It's a sunny day and it's not excessively cold either. Good symptoms, I'd say." Kage glanced at the skies.

"But we mustn't get confident either. We must do this out of duty: to free them from their suffering… Today… We settle the score!"


	19. Chapter 19: Purification

**Chapter 19: Purification**

06:38 AM (Kabul Time), Sunday February the 11th…

"… Sheesh. I finally managed to take out that field by using a hi-voltage wire… Talk about a thick field! And those 2 were blaming each other, as usual. And Rock Man had to come annoy me. I can't focus! I need something to vent off this annoyance…! Maybe I should go and start up the day's stuff…!"

"I'm afraid you can't."

"Huh? Wah! Rock Man! How the hell did you find this place? Those 2 had no tracers?"

"Trade secret."

"Dare to…!"

"If it's about the hostage… Someone else is rescuing them by now."

"No way!"

Iris was muttering aloud as she paced inside of the server room, annoyed: Rock Man suddenly stepped in through the door while looking dull and calm: Iris gasped.

"… They've just left." Rock Man told her.

"Shit. That happens because I didn't place an alarm or something like that! Bah! I only need to capture her again!"

"You won't. Because I'll stop you here and now." Rock Man drew the Rock Buster.

"Can you really do it?" Iris challenged.

"I can." His glare was serious.

"Hmpf. Men. Always trying to appeal as "cool"… Worthless."

"Did I ever say that was my goal, anyway?"

"You didn't but all the men are the same!"

"Guilty by association is unfair, didn't you know?"

"Less chat! Try to catch me, then!"

Iris warped and Rock Man followed her into a heliport's platform built atop a metallic structure in a base's yard: this base was mostly made of old brick buildings and was partly built into a set of mountains: Iris drew her Bug Sword and yielded it in a menacing manner but Rock Man merely drew a Samurai Sword.

"So this is the famed OKB-Zero… Spiral and Seed knew about it and reformed it to become a backup base yet they never got to use it. You heard of it from Void and decided to make us of it. After al… Nobody would imagine you were in Afghanistan of all places."

"Shut up! I'll make you suffer the same I made Colonel suffer!"

"Golden Star let me study the files you left behind. I've got antibodies and I know that blade's not very sturdy." He calmly replied.

"Sheesh."

"Hrah!"

Rock Man suddenly ran forward and swung the Samurai Blade: the attack easily cut off the Bug Sword and Rock Man made the Samurai Blade detach and hit the ground just as it began to act in an odd manner as if it'd been infected: he formed a Hell's Burner and burnt up the Samurai Blade as he shot a Super Vulcan at Iris forcing her to defend using a Dream Aura: once he was done sterilizing the blade, he focused his attention on Iris again: she hissed.

"Damn it."

"So. Is that all?"

"Don't take me lightly! I can fight!"

"Nobody questioned that. I only asked if that was all you could use to fight me back: I expect you to have something else on store."

"Damned men! Always trying to appeal!"

"Guilty by association doesn't work."

"Dream Sword!"

"Dream Sword!"

Both formed Dream Swords and rushed for each other: they made their blades clash and a powerful shockwave of energy spread from the point they met each other: they struggled in the deadlock as waves of energy began to spread from there: the blades were slowly losing brightness and mass and they eventually self-deleted, to the surprise of both combatants: they stepped back.

"Hmmm… Looks like hitting them together causes an excess of energy that also triggers a runaway of energy… In short: they need to vent off the berserk energy and they eventually end up depleted…"

"Hmpf! Like I care. Zeta Fumikomi!"

"Yoyo Blade!"

"Gyah!"

Iris dashed forward at a high speed trying to hit Rock Man but he shot the Yoyo Blade and hit her head-on while also shattering her Long Sword: Iris cursed under her breath and formed a scythe.

"I'll reap your neck!"

"I'm SO scared."

Iris' body glowed with a menacing reddish glow and Rock Man frowned: he gasped and quickly jumped to the right to dodge the swing of another scythe that had shown up behind him: Iris cursed and swung her scythe but Rock Man jumped and used a couple of jet exhaust tubes that emerged from the lower edge of his backpack to fly some meters into the air and dodge: Iris cursed and formed a jet-pack of her own to fly and chase Rock Man.

"Running away? I won't let you insult me!"

"Who said anything about running away? I merely dodged."

"Rhetoric!"

"No, it's the truth. As simple as that. Mugen Vulcan!"

"Giga Cannon!"

Rock Man shot the Mugen Vulcan while Iris shot the Giga Cannon: the attacks met mid-way and collided yet neither yielded to the other and an explosion ensued: both shielded and Iris rushed in with a Samurai Sword so Rock Man drew a Samurai Sword as well and they began to clash and struggle.

"Men! Always getting in the way!"

"Insulting me won't make you stronger. Torturing others doesn't make you stronger either."

"Come to lecture!" Iris hissed.

"If you must. You've involved too many others into this. We simply can't ignore you anymore. If you'd only involved Colonel then it'd been fine but involving others who are unrelated… And I couldn't ignore how you were threatening my friends or attacked them like how you attacked Enzan – kun some time ago." Rock Man calmly countered.

"I proved that I'm better than those Shadow Nova idiots! They only knew about being flashy and all! And Void was the greatest imbecile of them all: really thinking I'd be his dog to yank around the chain…!"

"I don't deny that Void was a fool, given what Andy told me. But your actions are unrelated to whatever that guy did."

"Sure they are! Whatever! You're weak!"

"Is there any proof of that, maybe?"

"You haven't fought in years!"

"Who said I couldn't train from time to time, though?"

"Damn it. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because, like I said this morning, your "revenge" clouds your mind."

"It powers me up!"

"It makes you weaker. XY could easily cite you over a hundred cases that he personally interviewed: all agreed on that. And they were from across the world, both men and women, and of varying ages and backgrounds… But they all drew the same conclusions. Even if they killed someone who killed another person close to them… They realized that it didn't change anything. The dead person wouldn't come back. Their previous life wouldn't come back. They'd become murderers themselves. I think you've been looking up too much to the culprits of the "Young Kindaichi Case Files": a lot of them were motivated by revenge…" Rock Man fumed and began to try to convince her.

"Guh…! Don't… lecture me!" She nervously hissed back.

"See? Like I've said so many times… You knew all of this already. But you were afraid of it. Are afraid of it. So you choose the easy way out: to try to ignore it. But it's constantly reminding you that it's here."

"SHUT UP! DIE~!"

Iris drew that Scattershot weapon and was about to fire it yet Rock Man simply cancelled his flight ability and dropped to the ground so the attack from the weapon didn't hit anything: Iris hissed as she reloaded and dropped to the ground: Rock Man quickly cut off the gun's muzzle part and it frizzled: Iris let go of it as it exploded and clashed blades with Rock Man again: she seemed to be far more furious than before.

"Out of my way!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Be realistic, Iris."

"I am how I feel like!"

"You won't be satisfied with Colonel. I'm sure you'll eventually extend your revenge to others because you'll feel unsatisfied. That was also a common trait of many people who got deluded by revenge."

"I'm not deluded! I control it! I draw power from it!"

"Sorry, but there's no "Dark Side of the Force"."

"Hmpf! Tell it to those guys!"

"You mean the "4 Dark Heavenly Kings" and the "Darkloids"? They were deluded as well. They thought hatred made them stronger… But they weren't that strong in the end. Not even the revived Forte: proof is that we could stop him." Rock Man calmly countered.

"They all conspire to laugh at me!"

"Nobody's conspiring. You're being deceived by "revenge". Like many others across the world."

"NO! I'm above those pitiful fools! I'm the ultimate!"

"Many have said that. And they all were wrong. There's no "ultimate". Not even Slur is ultimate. Not even black holes are the ultimate."

"Wait a minute…!" She suddenly seemed to realize something.

"Hmmm?"

"… Hmpf… I found it… Your weakness!" She eagerly muttered.

"What are you talking about?"

"Activate, Composer!"

"T-the Composer from _Halo 4_? You recreated that thing?" Rock Man gasped, horrified.

"Yeah… And you know what that means… Don't you?"

"Ah. I see. But… That isn't the case."

"HUH? What? What does that mean?"

"You thought that Netto – kun was close by and Operating me and you thought that by placing him in danger I'd lower the guard and you could defeat me. We predicted that. Netto – kun's remotely monitoring me from Japan: he's not Operating. I've gained the same functions as an Independent Net Navi: like you. There's only you, me, and your two accomplices here. So. Even if you bring that thing out it'll be pointless to begin with." Rock Man calmly told her.

"No way!"

"We're realistic. There was the possibility you might use him as a shield or jam our communications lines… So I came alone."

"Damn it! And here I thought I had a bright idea…!"

"By the way. I've set firewalls and jammers around the area so that you can't escape from here: you can't summon Dimensional Converters and you can't run from the Cyber World either."

"Shit. What are those two doing, anyway?"

"Roll – chan and I snuck on them and shut them down: I installed a set of 10 passwords for each one that must be inputted to wake them up. So they won't get in the way."

"Damn it. And here I thought you came to play "cool"!"

"How many times do I need to go over that? It's duty. A mission entrusted to me. And my goal isn't to delete you either but to disarm you and take custody of you." Rock Man calmly replied.

"I knew it! You're a man, after all!"

"Oh come on. Don't get the wrong idea. By "take custody" I merely mean to arrest you in the name of the Net Police. To be sent to the Navi Prison with your accomplices… The men and women prisons are over 100 Km away from each other so…"

"No! I won't be imprisoned again! I've spent almost my whole life shut in some stingy hole trying to figure out how to defeat those 2 damned beasts! And then I was closed to blackmail that man! No! I'm free! Free at last! Nobody will steal that from me~!" She hissed.

"If you surrendered then we can commute that for a sentence in community hours so that you do jobs for the benefit of society as a means of redemption." Rock Man offered.

"I'll have neither! I'm free! Free to do what I feel like! Like wiping out the damned humans who only see puppets in us!"

"You've given me another reason to stop you."

"You're a Net Navi! Are you going to let those inferior life-forms control you for much longer?"

"Humans built us. We owe them that much."

"To be their proxies!"

"In some cases, maybe. But Hikari Tadashi – hakase sought to create a new world altogether. And we're its citizens. Just because there are some fools like the ones who were afraid of Forte's growth and power and tried to delete him… That doesn't mean all humans are bad. There are some indeed but not all. You can't put all humans into a single category. It's possible to co-exist as partners or companions." Rock Man wasn't impressed by what she said.

"You're but a politician!"

"Politician? Just because I talk a lot that doesn't make me a politician: there are scientists and teachers who also talk a lot."

"Sheesh! I'm fed up with your hypocrisy!"

"This is not hypocrisy. It's the truth. Reality. Cruel, yes. But it's reality and denying it doesn't solve anything: it only worsens it."

"Whatever! I'll soon use the Composer and turn all humans into Promethean Knights to rule over the Cyber World and the real world!"

"Get past me first. And Golden Star. And XY. And Shunoros. And the Net Police. And Colonel." Rock Man challenged.

"Those damned interlopers! I'll wipe them out too! Once I calibrate the thing to destroy Net Navis too!"

"I wonder about that."

"What?"

There was an explosion close by and Iris gasped as she glanced towards one of the base's buildings: some other explosions rang out next.

"It can't be! Someone's attacking the Composer?"

"Yeah. Roll – chan is taking care of blowing it up."

"Damn! That flashy woman! I'll make them regret it yet!"

"Settle it with me first. If you can, that is." Rock Man reminded her.

"Shut up…! My perfect plan…! You ruined my perfect plan!"

"Perfect? You were just imitating _Halo 4_ to begin with."

"If I say that it's perfect then it's perfect!"

"Not even Takatoo's plans were perfect."

"Come to these…! Come! Promethean Knights! Make mincemeat of this guy while I teach that woman the price you pay for getting in my way! I'll turn her into my new slave, then!" Iris hissed.

Nothing happened and she looked around, dumbfounded: Rock Man rolled his eyes, exasperated, and sighed.

"Roll – chan's taken control of the servers. And has deleted the dangerous stuff you kept there. Fight using your power and don't rely on proxies: or is that all you can do?" Rock Man sighed.

"Damned flashy woman! I'll make her regret it yet! After I slowly and painfully cut you to pieces! Gra~h!"

She suddenly formed a chainsaw and began to swing it around at mad without a plan: Rock Man simply put distance and drew an Elec Pulse Battle Chip: he shot it at the chainsaw and the engine frizzled before short-circuiting and burning up given the black smoke that began to expel: Iris discarded it and drew the scythe again: she yelled as she began to swing it at mad too and Rock Man simply used a Neo Variable Sword to break it up: Iris suddenly smirked as a black and white copy of her showed up behind Rock Man and tried to plunge a spear through him: Rock Man turned on the jets and flew upwards to dodge and Iris had to dodge her copy's own attack: angered, she snarled and flew into the air too while loading up a Giga Cannon: Rock Man also drew the same weapon.

"Giga Cannon!" Both exclaimed.

The attacks collided and caused a fireball and an expanding shockwave: it soon cleared and both began to clash their Samurai Swords again yet Iris was clearly tired by now given how her arm shuddered.

"No…! No…! NO…! Max recovery! Hra~h!"

"Like it'll make any difference. Looks like the preparations are completed so I'll be putting an end to this."

Iris healed while Rock Man shrugged: he flew away and landed atop the heliport's platform: Iris landed there, snarling.

"Red Gaia Eraser!"

"Wha~t? Ugra~h!"

The powerful attack swept most of the heli-port and wounded Iris yet she hadn't given up yet given how she was trying to stand up: she used a Fumikomizan as Rock Man began to load the next attack and managed to plunge her Samurai Sword through him: Rock Man wasn't impressed and he finished loading the attack.

"Black End Galaxy!"

The black hole's pull dragged Iris away and Rock Man ignored the wound as he drew a Samurai Sword and dashed past Iris while swinging the blade: the black hole collapsed and the shockwave hit Iris, making her land some meters ahead on the platform: she groaned and could barely stand on her fours: Rock Man walked towards her and stopped in front of her.

"It can't be…! But…! Then…! You…! That guy…! This signature…! I've realized it… You ARE that Andy guy…! Someone else disguised as "Andy"… And set up a smokescreen…! Kuh…!"

"Yeah. But this is as far as you come, Iris. Guh!"

Rock Man groaned as he clutched his wound because it was starting to worsen: he collapsed into his knees and used the left hand to lean on the ground: Iris giggled and managed to draw a Mega Cannon.

"Heh… Men… Looking down on us women…! I'll show it to you… A woman's real power…! Delete…!" She eagerly muttered.

"A woman's real power? Don't make me laugh. That's being diehard: there's no merit to it. Roll Arrow!"

Roll suddenly dropped in from above and shielded Rock Man as she shot a Roll Arrow into the Mega Cannon's muzzle: Iris tried to fire but the cannon blew up and took out her right hand: she clutched the wrist and hissed while Roll loomed over her.

"Was that enough?" She challenged.

"Gruh…! The recovery program hasn't had time to reload…! But I'll turn it on nevertheless…! Hah!"

Her right hand was restored and she managed to stand up but her balance was precarious: Roll simply began to attack by whipping Iris' face with the antennae: she sucked off some energy off her and then formed a Recovery 300 Battle Chip which she flung at Rock Man: he caught it with the left hand and activated it to heal his wound: he sighed in relief and stood up while Roll continued to attack Iris and suck off her energies: Iris soon collapsed face-up on the ground, panting, while Roll produced another Battle Chip for Rock Man to use: he completely healed.

"I owe you one, Roll – chan."

"Don't mind it, Rock Man. You'll have plenty of chances to return it to me, anyway. She has Under Shirt so she's left with 1 HP. And I installed 4 passwords into the recovery program so she should be unable to auto-heal anymore." Roll told him with a shrug.

"Good."

"I took care of all the 3D sprites in the servers. There also was one of some alien-like man clad in some armor and who came together with some kind of spheroid…"

"The Didact from _Halo 4_ , huh? Not surprising."

"Huff, huff… Heh… But I've still got aces up my sleeves…!" Iris smirked.

"Talk about stubborn. What would those be?" Roll challenged.

As a response, the air began to distort as if a very hot object existed nearby: a large spheroid having a black outer casing broken by a pattern of angular, orange-glowing "cracks" hovered above them: the underside, made up of pieces that looked like cracks, opened: the mass inside of it seemed to be a star like the Sun given how it gave off the impression that it was burning: a round metallic circle with a dome-shaped underside and having 8 spears aiming upwards descended from it: the spears opened and Iris quickly warped to ride atop the platform.

"Damn. It's the Didact's "Cryptum"! She intends to take shelter inside of it and heal." Rock Man cursed.

"What are we waiting for? Roll Arrow!"

"Rock Buster!"

Both attacks were deflected by a field and Iris laughed as the spears closed around her, shielding her, and the object flew back inside of the "Cryptum": the underside closed and the object rumbled: tons of "Promethean Knights" began to spawn around them and they were soon surrounded: Rock Man hissed.

"Damn. And I used my best attacks already. I need to wait a little while to reload them."

"I can always suck off energy from these guys too." Roll whispered.

"OK. Andy… I mean… Legato. Guess you need to intervene."

"Fine."

Legato jumped into the fray and quickly swung his Neo Variable Sword to form the "tornado" and trap a few Knights there: he began to fight them while Rock Man and Roll used a Samurai Sword and an Assassin Sword respectively on each arm to fight off the enemies: the "Cryptum" merely hovered there and did nothing.

"It's got no weapons since it's a shelter to begin with. But we're wasting the time here with the small fry and she's recovering HP."

"Area Steal won't let me warp inside either."

"No wonder. We didn't account for the possibility that she'd already materialized there and were in a dormant state hidden in one of the buildings…" Rock Man fumed.

"But it's a desperate tactic. This is far from being a plan. More like something put together in a fit of annoyance." Legato reminded them as he sliced some enemies.

"What was that?" Iris' voice boomed out of the "Cryptum".

"It's reality."

"MEN!" She hissed.

"They've got a point. Anyone would agree. Even a parrot."

"You're the parrot, pink flashy woman!" Iris hissed.

"Charmed." She was hardly impressed by the taunting attempt.

"I'll make of you my slave!"

"I'd like to see you trying. Always depending on something to win… You're merely running away and hiding. Like Colonel." She shot back.

"I'm SMARTER than that that damned coward!" Iris snarled.

"Prove it."

"I've already done so!"

"No, you haven't. You're merely imitating others."

"Shut up!"

"And if I don't feel like it, then what? You'll bite me?" Roll provoked.

"You'll regret provoking me!"

"How many times do I need to repeat myself? Prove it."

"KI~H! In another 30 seconds I'll be fully healed! And powered up through the accumulation of hatred! I'll be INVINCIBLE!"

"Are you sure that that "accumulation of hatred" doesn't only exist in your imagination and it's a bluff? Or some kind of self-suggestion to make you believe you'll grow stronger?" Roll shrugged, unimpressed.

"Damn you! Bitch! I'll teach you yet!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not impressed. And these guys aren't that strong. Guess you did build them in a rush."

"Another 5 seconds…! 4… 3… 2… 1… Now!"

The "Cryptum" opened again and the platform descended: the spears spread and Iris stood up while glowing with a purple glow: she laughed and jumped into the fray while having the YoYo Battle Chip drawn: she shot it at Roll but she simply ducked as it flew past her location and hit one Knight's face: that triggered its self-defense system and warped to Iris location to attack her with the arm-blades: Iris groaned and kicked it away with the right foot: she was busy doing that and she didn't see a YoYo flying for her from behind: it quickly looped around her waist and tied her arms to the body: she was reeled back and Roll popped her head over Iris' right shoulder.

"You were saying?" She taunted.

"Impossible!"

"Reversal of roles. How about you give it up?"

"Salamander!"

"Stubborn, aren't you? Sheesh."

Roll cancelled the YoYo and jumped behind 3 Knights as Iris formed the Salamander and dived into the ground: the blast knocked 3 Knights again and the surrounding ones began to shoot at Iris: she gasped and groaned as she tried to block the attacks yet several more close by began to focus the fire on them.

"Why the…? Shit. I didn't install an IFF system on them!"

"See? Another proof that this is no plan but a desperate last attempt!"

"Damn you, bitch! I'll show it to you yet! True terror and fear!"

"Shoo, shoo."

"Great…!"

"Oho. I can't let that happen. Roll Slash!"

"Grah! Get your damned antennae off me, bitch!"

"And if I don't want to, huh?"

Roll began to whip Iris again as she tried to pull off some attack: Iris hissed and Roll didn't stop or slow down: Legato used the distraction to toss a "Marumain" PKMN inside of the "Cryptum": an explosion ensued and the casing blew off followed by the spheroid breaking down into fragments that scattered around: the "Marumain" hit the floor, KO, and was warped away: Iris hissed and Roll produced a couple of Chips which she tossed at Rock Man and Legato: the Knights suddenly stopped moving and both guys used the chance to finish them off.

"I see. The "Cryptum" acted as a control system to make them move but now that it's gone they stopped being controlled. Legato. Sweep the area just in case there's some other surprise and…"

"There is no need for that." Refraction suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah. Refraction. You swept the area?"

"After seeing the turn of events, Lord XY decided to send me here to make sure there were no more hidden assets. There are none and even if they were camouflaged… I should have been able to find them given my abilities…" He told them.

"I knew it! That voice…! You're a crony of XY too!"

"And what if I am, child? Will that change anything?"

"Stop treating me like I was a brat!"

"Did I ever say that? "Child" simply means that you are younger than me."

"Sounds like an old-timer!"

"I fail to see the reason." He merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Guh…! Off me, bitch…! Tank…! Guh…! Can't form battle Chips…! I won't let you…! Guh…!"

"So, how about you give it up?" Roll challenged.

"Like I will…! My revenge…! Will be completed…!"

"It won't. Because you never intended to complete it. We have said it already: you only wanted to drag it on forever."

"I think that this is enough. Allow me."

Refraction stepped forward and extended his right hand forward, aiming for Iris: she gasped and suddenly became still and was unable to move: her functions seemed to have halted as well.

"I did the same I did with those other two Net Navis… I triggered an emergency shutdown… And placed 3 safety passwords… Coded in a system that she is unable to decipher."

"Wow." Roll whistled in surprise.

"As expected." Legato sighed in relief.

"Hmmm… Those 2 are still stopped so… There should be nothing to stop us by now… I'd say we go to the rendezvous point and start working on the "purification"…" Rock Man suggested.

"Indeed. The sooner, the better." Refraction nodded in agreement.

"Roll – chan: we'll have to interrupt communications for a while so tell Meiru – chan…" Rock Man told Roll.

"OK. I'll send her an email telling her that."

"Go on ahead. I'll keep watch over those 2 and go over the place once more to make sure there's nothing else." Legato told them.

"Excellent. Well then, let us hasten."

11:47 AM (Thailand Time)…

"… Are you alright, Rock Man?"

"Yeah, XY. I've been through worse."

"I know, yet…"

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm really alright. My Ultimate Program was hardly damaged thanks to the shielding protecting it. And Iris had bad aim and only pierced through in parallel to the Ultimate Program."

"Ah. I see."

"Have you thought of what to do with that child's men? XY."

"Master Helios. I thought that we could let them loose. We know the limits of their strength and if we remove their ability to materialize we can track them. And they cannot stand each other so it is possible that they will be sabotaging each other's attempts to "shine"."

"Hum. Very likely indeed. Good. I leave it up on your hands."

"Thank you very much, Master."

Rock Man was talking with XY while standing below the plaza's great tree: he was calm and didn't seem worried about his earlier wound: Helios joined them and XY explained what he intended to do.

"I'm making progress over here. As you asked of me, I'm formatting all of her memories and I'll only leave her name tag behind so that she is aware that she's named Iris." Roll reported over the radio.

"There's no rush, really."

"Fine. But, really… Looking at these… I feel sorry for her. She's gone through so much hardships… Too many… No wonder she ended up like that… Too much sorrow, frustration, despair and powerlessness…"

"Maybe we are responsible as well. If we had not come up with those things, then…" XY sighed.

"There is no point in regretting the past, my assistant."

"I knew, Master, yet… We must assume our responsibility because we did not calculate the consequences of our actions… Is that not right?"

"Hum. You are right, yes… It is not like I deny that we have part of the blame yet… Like I said… That shall not change anything."

"Yeah… Feeling responsible for something is mature, but… Letting the guilt consume you isn't good either…" Rock Man sighed.

 _I know_. Netto's voice rang out inside of his mind.

 _You've been listening all along, right?_

 _How couldn't I?_

 _I know. Anyway. This will still take a while._

 _There's no rush. It's not even 1PM yet._

 _Are you at home?_

 _Yeah. I wanted something simplistic to vent off this sadness and I'm looking at a narration play of "Kirby and the Great Mirror Maze"…_

 _Kirby, eh? Maybe we should invent a new transformation based on myself, titled "Rock Man EXE"?_ He joked.

 _Heh. Why not?_

 _By the way. Did Oriol explain our absence?_

 _Yeah. He simply said that we were hanging around with the class. And surprisingly enough, he says that Slur actually joined the paint-ball game and is Top 1 by now._

 _Slur joined the game?_ He was equally surprised.

 _Looks like she got in the mood all of a sudden. She showed up and said "this is how it is done"… And quickly moved from one spot to the other of the map and began to score at a mad speed._

 _Obviously. Like there's anyone that can beat her speed…_

 _The current Top 2 is Cosmo Man. Top 3 is Burner Man._

 _Let me guess. Top 4 is Napalm Man?_

 _Yeah. Top 5's Freeze Man. Top 6 is Tozukana – san. & Lily Looks like Qong's not taking part today._

 _Yeah. Else he and Tom would be Top 2 or Top 3 by now._

"… Phew. Formatting's over. I'm going to insert the new memories you handed to me. And then we can talk about how we decorate her room, yeah."

"I am sorry for the bother, Roll, but I thought that you might know what a modern child likes." XY politely told her.

"Oh! Don't mind it. It's a new type of challenge. Hey, Rock Man. You don't mind if I use some of the stuff in your room here?"

"You mean the _manga_ , the games and the DVDs? Sure. Go on ahead. I barely use them, anyway. And now someone will be able to make good use of them." He replied.

"Gotcha. The new memory installation's begun but it'll take at least 30 minutes to totally install and format. So I'm going to begin working on the room in the meanwhile." Roll told him.

"Go on ahead."

"OK!"

"I shall be on the laboratory. If you want to come, Rock Man, then you may come. I am working on a new type of exploration device aimed at exploring "gas giants"…" Helios invited.

"Interesting. I'll accept that invitation." Rock Man got animated.

"I shall go speak with the warriors, Pharaoh Man and Refraction."

"Good enough."

Rock Man followed Helios into one of the lab's sections: there was a round spheroid colored white that had a lot of hexagons over its surface: Helios touched it and several of the hexagons turned blue before they lifted.

"Wow."

Hexagonal prisms only a few centimeters tall emerged: they had translucent walls made of some material and they contained a small red spheroid inside that was constantly spinning clockwise.

"These are some energy modules that gather energy from the environment to power up and they can then produce a special type of transmissions with enough power to go through the gas planet's atmosphere… It gathers up all information about the environment and they ride "upstream" along the beam to report to the device. So there is actually no need to make the probe enter the planet and detailed information can be gathered: since data has no matter then it is not subjected to the pressure." He explained.

"Wow! So you could scan the planet without needing to actually step into the atmosphere… And it wouldn't be only the upper layers of the atmosphere but you could scan the planet down to the very core…!"

"Yes. Insofar I have developed several types yet I was thinking in the old style of doing things. That is, to enter the planet's atmosphere and see how much time it would resist before being crushed. But with this system… Very accurate data can be gained without getting inside. It clearly overcomes the current orbiter probes, of course. Soon enough I will try it on Jupiter… I will tell you about the results, of course." He smiled.

"Whoa! I'm looking forward to it…!"

 _Me too! Man! This is so cool!_ Netto eagerly commented.

"… Rock Man? I'm making progress on setting up the room. The basic layout and the furniture are more or less complete… I'll now add the rest of the stuff I'd thought of…" Roll reported.

"OK. Once that's done we can go back and have a proper rest."

 _Maybe we could go have a walk into the mountains._

 _Sure. Today's a neat Sunday, anyway. Let's enjoy it._

Rock Man inwardly smiled and pictured Netto doing the same…


	20. Chapter 20: Quiet

**Chapter 20: Quiet**

09:14 AM (Japan Time), Saturday February the 18th…

"… So, Oriol… What are the latest news about that duo?"

"Judge Man's tried to create a political party. But no – one took him seriously enough. And Element Man's tried to become a show star but no – one's impressed. They've clashed about 11 times since Monday but got nowhere. As expected."

"Heh. It was a good idea to pit them against each other."

"Sure, Saito – kun."

"Sorry for the wait! The cake's ready!"

"Woho!"

"Netto – kun… You're as glutton as ever!"

"Wasn't that obvious, Oriol?"

"Heh, heh. Guess so."

"My, my!"

"Here we are!"

"We got a big engrossed with the game."

Netto, Saito, Kuroshiro (dressed as Kage) and Legato (sporting an imitation of the twins' outfit with a red vest being the difference) had been chatting while sitting in chairs around the Hikari house's living room: Haruka took out a recently baked cake from the oven just as Raito and Leon climbed down the stairs from the first floor.

"Don't worry! I made enough for everyone. Along with green tea. And Yuuichirou – san will be coming to stay during the weekend too. So I'll be able to give him some too." Haruka giggled as she slice the cake.

"Yum!" Netto looked eager.

"Gluttony – chan's back?" Saito joked.

"Sheesh. That nickname is too old, niisan." Netto rolled his eyes.

"Maybe it's pretty new instead?" Kuroshiro joked.

"Or it's become half-rusted half-sparkling." Legato joked next.

"Is there a point?" Raito wondered.

"I think Netto – san tends to eat too much." Leon shrugged.

"And then I went and pulled a surprise attack with Falcon's kick from behind and managed to win that match against Master Hand in the highest difficulty…!" Netto was excitedly telling the others in the meanwhile.

"Maybe it was Former Master Hand?" Saito joked.

"As you could expect… Slur – sama was last Sunday's winner. If that wasn't the speed of light I don't know what it was." Kuroshiro laughed.

"The _Millennium Falcon_?" Legato chuckled.

"My, my." Haruka amusedly muttered.

"That sure was the speed of light, or so Burner Man and Napalm Nan were saying the other day." Leon calmly agreed.

"It was surprising." Raito timidly muttered.

"Don't be shy, Raito – kun. There's no need to." Haruka encouraged.

"T-thank you, Aunt."

"And then Enzan took off the garbage bin's cover and the fugitive was indeed there: he then went on saying the Pink Panther had told him in dreams it was the ultimate hideout and…" Netto was telling some tale to the others.

"The Pink Panther, eh? Thought it'd been Bugs Bunny and his carrots' wisdom." Saito laughed.

"Or the Coyote."

"Or Yosemite Sam."

"By the way, _senpai_ … Is the second half of the course hard?"

"Somewhat. But if you insist I'm sure you'll be able to overcome it."

"Thank you."

"It's nothing, Raito – kun."

"Maybe he needed hints from Garfield and how to try to send his cousin to somewhere far, far away." Kuroshiro joked.

"Or how to scare the postman. Until he brings forth reinforcements."

"Or how to try to play with Odie." Saito grinned.

"Or trying to deal with Mondays." Netto laughed.

"Wasn't there a type that…?" Kuroshiro seemingly recalled.

"Yeah! That painted his body red as bricks and tried to glue to a wall thinking it'd bring out 100% camouflage rate… Far from it!" Netto confirmed.

"Maybe he'd been playing too much _MGS3_."

"Maybe he lacked OctoCamo." Legato chuckled.

"Speaking of MGS: the highly expected _Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance_ is coming out soon enough!"

"Heh. It'll be fun. The system will be different since it's a spin-off and the story obviously won't be able to match the main series' one but… We should treat is another world, something asides. The trailers look interesting insofar." Netto grinned.

"Hmmm… By the way, gentlemen… Any suggestions?" Leon asked.

"I know! _Conan & Kindaichi: Chance Encounter of 2 Great Detectives! _The game with the cross-over a lot of mystery _anime_ fans wished! It's fun and thrilling: those 2 great detectives against a grand enigma… It's a game for the general public so… I think you'll find it challenging!" Saito suggested.

"Wow. A cross-over between Conan and Kindaichi…" Leon whistled.

"Sounds interesting, doesn't it? _Senpai_."

"Yeah. It's worth checking it out!"

"Good. I'll lend you our copy. There's still an unused save file so you can save your game there." Saito smiled at them.

"Thank you very much." Both thanked.

"It's nothing!"

"And you see, Yuuichirou – san was trying to invent a thermometer to try to measure the toasted bread slices' temperature!" Haruka was telling Netto and the others.

"I didn't know that!" Netto was surprised.

"Is that so…?" Kuroshiro timidly asked back.

"What for, ma'am?" Legato politely asked.

"He was looking up to Phileas Fogg of _Around the World in Eighty Days_ who was a very maniacal person… It's said he wanted his toasted bread slices to be served at an exact temperature…"

"Really? Papa can have some odd ideas from time to time." Saito rolled his eyes, baffled.

"Tee, heh! But that's what makes him a nice person! Because he can have these curious ideas… Or when he's focused on the lesson, he ignores the talk around him and sometimes draws the idea that it's about some topic… For example… One day he was going over a lesson, some classmates were talking about going to the _karaoke_ … And he thought they were talking about King Kong! "If you want to go see King Kong go on ahead, I'm not interested!"…" Haruka explained next.

"He misheard karaoke for King Kong?" Netto sighed.

"Papa… If only he didn't get so obsessed with work…"

"Well…" Kuroshiro didn't seem to know what to comment.

"That was… unexpected." Legato improvised.

"Uncle is a bright person but… He seems to have… how should I put it like…? He has unexpected things…" Raito commented.

"So it'd seem." Leon was also surprised.

"Alright. Who wants more cake?"

"Woho~!" Netto got thrilled again.

"Gluttony – chan's back." Saito joked again.

"Don't worry! There's enough for everyone! And more green tea too. And a surprise… That is… Rice cookies!"

"Rice cookies? Woho~!"

Haruka served them a second ration and added a dish filled with several rice cookies: Netto quickly picked one faster than the others and began to munch it.

"This flavor! It's superb!" He exclaimed.

"As expected of gluttony – chan." Saito grinned.

"Yeah. Guess that." Kuroshiro shrugged.

"Maybe he eats more than Garfield." Legato joked.

"Could be." Leon wasn't too surprised.

"It's… sweet." Raito muttered after eating one as well.

"Isn't it, Raito – kun?" Haruka patted his back.

"Thank you very much, Aunt."

"It's nothing, my dear. Just enjoy."

He nodded while looking emotional: Leon smiled and patted him as well while the other four were going over jokes again.

"…the flipping duck that wasn't a duck!"

"My, my. It feels so good to see these children smile. Like I thought: nothing like a recently baked home-made cake! Tee, heh!"

11:09 AM (Japan Time)…

"… So, Meiru – chan… Any news?"

"Not really, Yaito – chan. By the way. Why did you invite us, anyway?"

"Gotta be a Rare Chip!"

"Of course not."

"Yaito – sama…"

"You look beaten, Glyde!"

"Guts, guts? Where's the Rare Chip?"

"There aren't! Desu!"

"And I invited over some special guests! Ta-dan!"

Yaito, Meiru, Dekao and Hikawa plus their Navis had gathered in the tree-house: Yaito was animated, Meiru was shrugging, Dekao got eager and Hikawa rolled his eyes.

"Huh… So this is the tree-house, huh?"

"Yet it's got a hi-level computer."

"As expected of Gabcom Inc."

"Sure, Kei – niisan."

Atarasei, Alex (dressed with a blue wool jumper, jeans and sneakers) along with Kei and Jake came in next and began to look around.

"Introducing Oscar Wells!"

"Sheesh." Atarasei sighed.

"Alex the Golden!"

"Quit it with the _Golden Sun_ jokes!"

"And the rumbling bros.!"

"R-rumbling bros? When did we become THAT?"

"Oh come on. Yaito – chan. Your nicknames are as bad as ever. State your purpose." Meiru fumed.

"I heard from Kage – kun that the Golden Star guys are having paint-ball battles through the Navis… So let's do the same!"

"Well. Could be fun." Roll shrugged.

"Guts, guts! Guts Man will be number one!"

"Uh-oh." Glyde seemed to foresee trouble.

"Sounds like fun! Desu!"

"Why not?" Alex shrugged.

"As for the jumping bros…"

"Now's "jumping" bros? Based on WHAT?" Kei demanded.

"Guess her random moods." Jake sighed.

"…can use automated Navis to do that!"

"Guts, guts! Guts Man! Number one!"

"In hits?" Atarasei laughed.

"Guts?"

"Sure." Roll shrugged.

"Let's do it." Alex grinned.

He warped into the Cyber World and reverted out of his clothes into his bodysuit as he picked a loaded paint-ball gun: the others (two Normal Navis included) did the same: they then got warped at random locations into a forest somewhere: Alex calmly looked around as if to check if the others were close by.

"Game's already begun!" Yaito giggled.

"So it'd seem."

"Huh? I don't get it." Dekao frowned.

"What?" Yaito asked.

"Weren't we gonna do a smash 'em all match?"

"HUH? I never said that. I said paint-ball!"

"Huh? Not faint-all?"

"NO!"

"And how do you play?"

"Sheesh. It's like hide and seek but you got to shoot the others with that gun and get points. Whoever has highest score wins!"

"Easy!"

"Hey! But no Battle Chips or Navi moves allowed! You've got to move, hide or shoot!" Yaito warned.

"Man. That's boring!"

"Then leave." Yaito invited.

"Hah! A macho guy…!"

"You were saying?" Meiru fumed.

"Yikes! Y-yeah. I'll play." He gulped.

"Scary!" Atarasei, Kei and Jake muttered.

"Fine. Then stay quiet." Meiru ordered.

"Now, now. Let's start anew… First place winner gets prize: a choco-banana crepe!" Yaito teased.

"Hum! Yummy!" Meiru got animated.

"Come to these, I won't lose so easily! Go, Guts Man! I'm sure they're close by! Look behind you! They always come from behind!" Dekao rallied.

"Guts, guts. There's something."

"One of them?" He eagerly asked.

"A tree."

"I know there are trees! Man! Look for the others!"

"Guts, guts."

"Gotcha! Paint!" Atarasei grinned.

"Sorry, but you lowered the guard! Paint!" Kei grinned.

"I'm faster! Paint!" Jake exclaimed.

"Paint! You got hit, Ice Man!" Roll giggled.

"Desu! I fight back! Huh! Too fast!" Ice Man gasped.

"Paint! Paint! Paint! Paint!" Glyde exclaimed in a rush.

"Not bad, Glyde! Now's my turn!" Alex laughed.

"The Akihara Paint & Stain Club!" Yaito laughed.

"Too forced." Everyone (save Dekao and Guts Man) sighed.

"Or maybe… The Saint – Paint Club!"

"Yeah. Sure." They all muttered next.

"Guts! Paint!"

"No, Guts Man! That's a rock! Hit the Navis! Not the other stuff!" Dekao nervously ordered.

"Guts! They went south, de guts!"

"Melon, fork, apple, knife, spoon!" Yaito suddenly listed.

"Guts? Melon, fork… Apple…? Knife… And… Guts?"

"Yikes!"

"When will you update the RAM?" Meiru rolled her eyes.

"You could ask the Science Labs, you know." Hikawa sighed.

"Is it that hard to ask a favor, Ooyama?" Atarasei grinned.

"Maybe it's pride." Kei suggested.

"Wouldn't surprise me." Jake was hardly surprised.

"Guts! Found you, Roll – chan! Pain! Huh! Too fast!"

"Yeah! Paint! Catch me, Guts Man!"

"Wait for me, Roll – cha~n! Guts!" Guts Man pleaded.

"Tee, heh, heh! This is fun!" Yaito giggled.

"I'm Top 1 now!" Meiru eagerly exclaimed.

"Not bad. Glyde's Top 2!"

"I'm Top 3!" Alex reported.

"Top 4." Jake told them.

"Top 6. Top 5 is Ice Man, surprisingly enough."

"Wait! Then… I'm Top 7? No way!" Dekao gasped.

"You gotta hurry before you're left behind!"

"I see Amec! Guts! Pain!"

"Alex, not Amec! And you hit me. Congratulations on your first hit!"

"FIRST hit? Guts Man! You hadn't hit anyone yet? Hurry it up!"

"Guts, guts. I'm trying, de guts. But this slope is hard, de guts."

"Paint! Desu!"

"Whoa! Guts! Ice Man got me, de guts!"

"Tee, heh, heh. And thus the Saint – Paint Club has fun while the curtain lowers on them! What's waiting for them? To be continued!" Yaito imitated an _anime_ narrator.

"How original." Almost everyone sighed in a resigned tone of voice.

"Look forward to the new adventures of Glyde, the glider of peace and love… and strawberry milk! Tee, heh, heh!"

12:37 PM (Thailand Time)…

"… Good. You've all gathered. I need to give out some orders regarding encounters with those 2 stray souls…"

"Judge Man and Element Man?"

"Of course, Gray."

Kuroban had gathered all the "Shunoros" members in his throne room: he was standing in front of the stairs leading to it and speaking to the group: Eisei had made a question and he confirmed it.

"First: no deletion. Second: you can use the "Boundary". Third: no "Ultimate Attacks". This is another topic yet… Siegfried! Don't mess with Colonel: last we need is an excuse for the warmongers!"

"R-roger, Prince!" Sieg gulped.

"Ernst. Stop trying out Search Man: same reason applies. You never know when a warmonger could try to use as an excuse."

"Understood, sir. I didn't intend to, sir. I thought they'd gotten enough of a lesson by now, sir." Ernst calmly acknowledged.

"And don't start a fight with Gray and the others even if they've said something rude or that hurt your feelings."

"I know, sir."

"No grudges, either."

"Roger, sir. I won't disappoint you, sir."

"Good. Gray, Urateido and Siegfried! Remember: don't bring up your manias when Ernst or Umisama are around. I don't care what you do with those as long as you don't involve anyone else." He warned them.

They nervously gulped: Ernst directed a hostile glance at them and Kuroban fumed: Ernst gulped as Kuroban took a step forward and began to glare at them as if to punish them.

"Ernst. What did you just say?"

"I'm sorry, sir. It's just that… I offer no excuses!"

"Good. Because they aren't to blame for anyting yet. I was only giving them a reminder. That glare meant you had a complaint regarding my orders. If you've got it I'll listen to it."

"N-no, sir. I don't question your orders, sir!"

"Good. Put those moods away for 5 minutes. Can you?"

"Y-yes, sir. I will do, sir."

"Netsuhonoo and company. Do as you like but don't start rivalries between each other or fights. If you want to play Smash Bros. against each other… Then you can do it, as usual, but then don't try to look up to the game and fight each other."

"Roger, sir!" They firmly saluted.

"Good. Gray. Stay back. I need to discuss a certain topic with you. All of the others may leave. Unless you've got something to add, Ernst."

"No, sir. I have nothing to add, sir."

"Good."

The group (save Eisei) left and Kuroban shut the doors.

"Good. Listen, Gray. You know that all we did involving that "Duo" behemoth is secret. Right?"

"O-of course! I haven't said a single word!"

"I know. And remember: officially, Iris was accidentally deleted when fighting Blues because Blues damaged that "Scattershot" weapon and she tried to fire it nevertheless causing it to explode and its disintegrating effect to hit Iris and delete her. It was an accident. So if you feel Shadow Man stalking you then you might face the guy and tell him that. That you heard Blues and Punk discussing it. Colonel must be poking there and there by now." He explained to him.

"OK. Can I shake the guy off if he turns out to be too persistent?"

"Yeah. But no deletion. Just beat the guy up. That's all. You can all do that: and Colonel can't do anything about it. You needn't worry about reprisals from the guy…" Kuroban shrugged.

"Fine."

"Ah yeah. XY told me he altered Laika's and Search Man's memories so that they would forget about their "suspicions". So there's no danger in that front. As usual, you can battle anyone save Search Man, Colonel and Tomahawk Man. But don't start calling others to annoy them in purpose either."

"G-gotcha."

"As long as you get it…"

"C-can I leave?"

"Yeah. You can leave. But remember that I'm watching you."

"G-gotcha! Bye!"

Eisei ran off, nervous, while Kuroban shrugged: he formed a holographic screen that showed Colonel, Tomahawk Man, Thunder Man and Shadow Man discussing outside of the base.

"I spoke with Blues, Colonel… Iris got deleted in an accident: her weapon misfired and its side-effect deleted her." Thunder Man told him.

"… I see." He sighed.

"That's a pity." Tomahawk Man muttered.

"Yeah. But accidents like those can happen." Shadow Man shrugged.

"Maybe it was for the better." Barrel calmly suggested.

"At least she won't be haunted by the past anymore." Dingo sighed.

"Hum. Guess so." Dark Miyabi dully muttered.

"Now don't start pinning the blame on others." Raoul warned.

"I didn't intend to do that." Colonel fumed.

"At least Meddy's back and she's in top shape. The Science Labs were able to fully repair her." Tomahawk Man commented.

"Speaking of which… What about that "ghost server" thing? It'd seem it suddenly cooled off…" Shadow Man brought up.

"… The "ghost server"…!" Colonel muttered.

"Man. Now this guy will start thinking something like "if other deleted Navis were revived then Iris could be revived too"… Maybe I'll need to warn XY." Kuroban grumbled.

"… I searched that pyramid place but there was nothing in the end. Yet… I found something odd by pure coincidence. I was doing a job in the Rosario Internet City when I spotted Flash Man."

"Flash Man? In Rosario?" Colonel frowned.

"But odd part is that… the guy was behaving normally and speaking with some Operator. I watched for a while but the guy only did some errands and then headed back to his PET… I snuck there and checked the files. Apparently it'd been delivered by post mail to some college student in Rosario researching into EM and clean energies… There was no label and no message…" Shadow Man detailed.

"Huff. Now this. This Ninja Man is turning out to be very annoying indeed. Now that XY had found a better living style for those guys… This idiot might ruin it all… Or maybe not. But I'll have to warn XY nevertheless to be on the look-out…" Kuroban sighed.

"Suspicious." Colonel muttered.

"Maybe the "ghost server" owner got tired of having to babysit them and reformatted them to give them to people who'd know to make a good use of them? Instead of having to delete them after all the effort of rebuilding them…" Meddy suddenly intervened.

"When did you…?" Colonel asked.

"I did knock 8 times. But nobody replied. I was going to tell Tomahawk Man that he's yet to book his weekly maintenance."

"My bad. We got engrossed. Hmmm… What days and hours are still available?" Tomahawk Man asked.

"Tuesday, Thursday and Friday… 9AM, 13AM, 17PM, 21PM…"

"Make it Tuesday at 9AM. The sooner the better."

"OK. I just happened to overhear your discussion without intending to. But I've got that feeling."

"It makes sense." Barrel shrugged.

"If that means that those guys aren't dangerous anymore…" Raoul shrugged.

"I think you're being too fast in drawing conclusions. It could be some ploy: they could've become sleeper agents and are waiting for the right time to begin sabotage works." Colonel grumbled.

"Even if that's the case… It's Argentina, you know. We can't intervene there. And I'm sure there's no illegality either. Delivering a PET with a brand new Navi installed on it isn't a crime. It's a present." Tomahawk Man argued back.

"Fine. Let's wait and see. But then don't say I didn't warn you." Colonel begrudgingly settled before fuming.

"Don't be so stubborn. We've got other priorities!" Barrel reminded him.

"Enough. Looks like we settled it somehow."

Kuroban shut down the display and stretched before warping outside and atop a Wave Road overlooking their island, which had a central mountain where the base was a built, and a small concrete dock on the southern end: he then focused his sight towards the NW.

"Let's go meet XY. We need to talk about if we need to take action regarding those guys or not. Laika and Search Man won't do anything either: Search Man will hear of the news too and shrug since it doesn't involve them. Good."

 _But we mustn't neglect the training either… Slur will do fine… Heh…_

16:39 PM (Japan Time)…

"…and then the incredibly powerful jet of cold water hit the culprit thus making them summon Devil Man and…!"

"Yes, yes. We knew that tale, Superintendent. Could you leave us to finish work on analyzing this data?"

"The _Danna_ and his moods…"

"I know, Punk."

"Ah! Ijuuin – kun: good timing! Did you find Mr. Achroma lurking close by with his handsome voice?"

"Wha? Sorry, sir, but… I didn't get any of it."

"I didn't either, Enzan – sama. I shall offer no apologies yet it didn't seem to be too logical to begin with."

"My, my. You're so dry, Blues…"

Oda was telling some odd tale to Meijin, Punk and Obihiro but none of them were impressed since they'd already heard it: he suddenly turned around to see Enzan heading down the corridor and called out for him: Enzan stopped, baffled, and frowned: Blues dully commented that he failed to see the point while Oda grinned.

"Did you find a bottle of rum?"

"Rum? No. Why should I?"

"Maybe because Capt'n Sparrow forgot it?"

"Oh come on."

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Blues muttered.

"Blues! Don't be so grim in life!" Enzan groaned.

"I apologize, sir."

"Anyway. Did you find Mr. Achroma? I'm sure he'll gladly give you a copy of the Achroma Machine."

"I didn't, sir, and I don't… Achroma…? Ah! That guy from PKMN… Well, no, not like I'd find the guy, sir!"

"You never know. It might be someone cosplaying!"

"Huff. I don't have time to care about fans!"

"Including yours?"

"Sir! You know very well I've got no fans." Enzan sighed.

"Maybe Uncle Merton blessed them?"

"I doubt it, sir."

"Something's coming!"

"What is it?" Enzan seemed to fear the worst.

"… Nothing!"

"I knew it." He groaned.

"Predictable, sir." Blues dully muttered.

"Totally." Obihiro sighed.

"I've finished the batch of data, Meijin."

"Thanks, Punk."

"Beware! "Everything can happen at the Gladiatoons show!"… "Including that they change the name to Toons of Laughter?"… "NO!"…"

"Oh come on. Those are parodies of the game _Taz: Wanted_ in which Yosemite Sam has a show named Gladiatoons… When Taz unexpectedly takes Coyote's place he improvises that… And someone thought of a parody in which someone begins asking Sam stuff because he said "all's possible"…" Enzan sighed.

"But before that… "In channel…!"…"Guards! Want! Salary! Increase!"… "Cut!"… "Can't! It's live!"…"E~H?"…"

"And this time it's a parody of the beginning scene…"

"…when Sam is telling the TV audience that, if they don't want to see the She-Devil spinning around they should tune in for the Gladiatoons show in channel "G" but gets cut off by Taz yelling… Someone begins to make puns with the "G" letter…" Blues dully continued.

"My, my. Excellent, my fellow. Did you find the Lil Boss?"

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Never mind. Well then… "Sorry, Sam. Trap-door malfunction. I can't do that."... "Turns out I got bribed."… "How can a machine get bribed, anyway?"…" He laughed.

"And that's from the Disco Volcano. Sam's base computer says the trap-door's broken… And someone thought of adding "reasons" why the computer refuses to obey Sam."

"Heh, heh! They were done by some smart chums!"

"Yeah. I'm sure it was Eisei & co. to begin with."

"Excellent chums blessed by Uncle Moriarty!"

"Sure, sure."

"But they can't beat Uncle Moran's best 3 disciples!"

"The radio trio? Oh come on."

"Obihiro – kun: didn't you tell me Lil Monkey imitated Big Monkey to play with Middle Monkey and None Monkey?"

"I never said that, sir!" Obihiro complained.

"Sure didn't." Punk sighed.

"Punk: did you find Cousin Homika in the town?"

"Homika ain't a punk, just a Gym Leader!" Punk argued back.

"Did you know? I got promoted to Gym Leader too. Of Odamachi."

"Oda-town? How original, sir." Enzan rolled his eyes and sighed, hardly impressed.

"Let's be positive! Now… I've got something to take care of so… Let's see you around. Next time I'll show you my team of 6 competent and capable officers." He laughed.

"Sure, sure."

"Phew. He finally left." Meijin sighed.

"Well. If he feels like it then it's a sign that there's no big deal worrying him… Right?" Obihiro shrugged.

"Yeah. So? Did you find anything?"

"Iris did rip off the composer thing but all it could do was shoot the beam. It didn't do anything else but that." Obihiro replied.

"So there was never any harm from that. Good."

"Of course there wasn't. Was an improvisation."

"Fine enough. Tell me if you find any of those 2: I'll go teach them that we're the _Sheriff_ s." Enzan grinned.

"Delighted."

"Hmpf. No desperate tactics will work."

"Well said, man!"

"By the way, Ijuuin – kun… Are you good at bowling?"

"I've played sometimes. I think I have the basic graps of it. Why?" Enzan admitted before asking, surprised.

"We were thinking of doing a wrap-up party and go bowling."

"Why not? Will do for a change of airs. Been a while. And Blues and Punk can compete too."

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

"Huh? Oh come on. That little girl again… "Handsome guys needed to promote the Saints – Paints Club!"… I dunno what she means but she's trolling me to begin with." Meijin sighed when he read an email.

"Miss Heiress… I feel some _déjà vu_ , even."

"You're not the only one."

"Yeah… I feel like that, too… I need some knock-out _ramen_ this evening to vent it off. At the usual place." Meijin sighed.

"Maybe I'll drop by Hikari's and see the mood there too. And maybe I'll go see what Ayanokouji's up to." He grinned.

"Send him greetings: I plan on dropping by, too, one of these days… When I finish these tasks." Obihiro resumed working.

"You needn't get obsessed with them, Obihiro – kun. Let's do things at our usual pacing." Meijin encouraged.

"Thank you, Meijin – san."

"Heh. _San wa iranai_."

"OK! Back to work, man!" Punk was satisfied.

"I'll leave you guys to work. I'm off for a walk." Enzan told them.

"See you."

"Later!"

Enzan left the room and calmly exited the Net Police HQ building while humming a tune as he walked down the streets.

"Any urgent messages, Blues?"

"None insofar, Enzan – sama."

"Good. Then maybe I can go to the bookstore and buy some _manga_ to have fun with." Enzan grinned.

"Yes, Enzan – sama." Blues smiled.

"And if we find someone from GS or Shunoros we can have a thrill."

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

 _Ah… This is life, man. Let's enjoy it to its fullest and have a thrill! Heh!_

17:24 PM (Thailand Time)…

"… So, XY. Is everything proceeding?"

"Yes. Kuroban was here some hours ago."

"Kuroban beat me to it today, huh? Fine."

Burai had come to the space-city's plaza to meet with XY, who let out that Kuroban had been there already: Burai grinned and shrugged.

"Anyway. Everything is proceeding fine. For now… I charged her with studying economy. A field I never paid much attention to… And she's really putting a lot of energy on it. Which is what we wanted to see: the passion of children fascinated by research…" XY calmly explained to him while looking animated.

"What about the home-world guys? Did they react in any special manner after you told them about Duo?"

"Not really. It served as reminder that we are still far more advanced than they are and it is a really bad idea to try to annoy us. They did express thanks… and told us something…" He grumbled.

"That there were some fools who were thinking of capturing that thing to dissect it or use it for their goals?" Burai guessed.

"3 or 4 fools who thought they could use it as a means to evolve into "Gods"… They were heavily scolded, of course, and stripped of any authority to then be reallocated. As long as they are just a small bunch of fools then… But the thought itself is dangerous. Makes me think of the Covenant, either!"

"The Covenant? Ah. They based their union in the belief that the Forerunners were "Gods"…"

"Yes. And that they could become "Gods" themselves through that "Great Journey" which was nothing but a misinterpretation of Forerunner messages and records."

"I know. They should keep an eye out: we don't want those to increase."

"Yes, of course. They are doing that. Which is also a reminder of why they need to focus on their development and progress too: because there could be types like those lurking amongst their society. Then again, it has not been that long since the age of dictators ruling over territories and having absolute power… And some crowning themselves as "Gods" because they found ancient technology… Even if they did not know how to use it… They brandished it as deterrence… Instead of nukes, they used artifacts our descendants had left behind."

"But they didn't leave any dangerous stuff... Or would they?

"Insofar it would they seem they did not, given the contents of over 90% of the discovered vaults… There have been some exceptions from time to time, though."

"Fine. Let's try talking about something positive instead. Refraction. Nobody is snooping where they shouldn't?"

"No. Everyone believed the cover story. No unusual transmissions or searches have been detected. For added safety, no records have been left about us, Kyutora or you humans. There is no evidence. Even if there were still "spies" left they would find nothing."

"OK. So we needn't worry."

"At all. And, also… It is highly unlikely for anyone to stumble upon the communications hub. Like I said before… The ground is a material that makes all kind of scans believe it is plain ground."

"I know."

"And, besides… There is always the misinformation. Like we did with Pharaoh Man… To make them believe someone is trying to set up tales about super-ancient civilizations…" XY shrugged.

"Heh. I know. Even if anyone stumbles upon something like one of the hubs we can spread the rumor that that's but mere decoration some smart hacker who wanted to recreate Atlantis set up!"

"Exactly."

"The 4 Warriors are training?"

"Yes, they are. As usual. Refraction is also assisting in our researches too but most of the time we want to hear from him what it feels like in the home-world. Other times he does stealth missions. Especially in complicated territories. To gather field data… Of course, Iris is only supposed to help us in our researches and will not come out of here. At the most, I might allow her to go shopping or so but using a disguise and another name." XY told Burai.

"Of course. Allow her some freedom. Else she will be a bird in a golden cage." Burai warned XY.

"I know. Regarding those 6… They all are working for their new Operators in a disciplinary manner… Kuroban told me Flash Man was seen by Shadow Man but it would seem Barrel has decided to ignore that because it is beyond his territory. I did purposely choose humans from the other continents to avoid such happenings."

"OK. We're safe in that front."

"Indeed. I did a lot of research in candidates, after all."

"Hum. I did think someone must had come and it was you, young Burai… You also came to get the latest information?" Helios calmly walked down the stairs.

"Yeah. I'm going to spend some days in my village training and taking part on the annual festival. So I wanted to get a bit up-to-date before going there and disconnecting for a few days."

"Fair enough, of course."

"By the way. Is that probe of yours progressing?"

"Slowly. It is a secondary project. Now I am working on systems to predict the existence of bodies in hyper-space travel. Our successors are not able to achieve that yet, of course. But you never know. They might have found a vault with the information on how to build such technology. If they did then they could skip the portal altogether." Helios admitted.

"You've got a point. So you want to figure out beforehand if any of them is trying to sneakily come this way."

"Yes. In that he case… I can program the portal to cause a disturbance in time-space that could force the ship out of hyper-space given the unsafe conditions… And then catch it and warp it back at the home-world. So we could prevent that. But it is a mere theory at this stage. I need to carry out some experiments out there to test out the efficacy of this method."

"So you've already thought of a counter-measure. As expected. You're as fast as light." Burai complimented.

"As fast as light? Well. Why not." He looked slightly amused.

"OK. I'm going to leave now. See you around."

"Let us meet again."

"Farewell."

Burai warped out of the space-city's plaza: XY waited a few moments before shrugging.

"I will go check on Iris and the others before returning to the laboratory, Master."

"Good enough. I will continue working on the simulation models. And then we shall need to do some field testing too."

"Your will."

Helios headed back while XY warped elsewhere inside of the space-city and stopped in front of a wooden door with a plate reading "IRIS": he knocked on the door.

"Iris? Are you here?"

"Yes, Master XY. Please wait a moment."

XY stepped back as Iris (without the blue bodysuit but wearing her usual dress) came out: she looked more energetic than usual as well.

"Are you progressing with your studies?"

"Yes, I am. I have finished the 9th lesson and I will undertake the test afterwards."

"Good."

"I find the subject interesting because it has many complexities to it and it takes time to study them all."

"There is no need to rush, my child. If you like it, then that is fine. If you want to study other fields as well you only to tell me and I will arrange for the materials." XY kindly told her.

"Thank you, Master."

"If you want to come give a hand on the lab you only tell me. Do not feel like you must be always doing something to be of help. I want you to have your free time as well and your entertainment as well."

"I understand, Master."

"Excellent. Well then. Let us meet later."

"Yes, Master."

XY smiled at her and she smiled back as she closed the door: XY then warped elsewhere and returned to the Plaza: Refraction was waiting there for new orders.

"Refraction… Handle the usual inspection."

"Your will, Lord XY. Please leave it to me."

"My warriors and Pharaoh Man… Do not get obsessed with the training either. Meditation is also an important part of everything."

"As you command!" The 5 of them replied over the radio.

"Heh. This place feels so lively… With so many children… I think this alone makes it worth having lived for so long…" XY muttered, emotional.

"Indeed… Let us work hard to protect these children's future, XY."

"Yes, Master Helios. We shall protect their future… That is our goal!"

20:08 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Gotcha! Paint!"

"Not bad, Forte! Now's my turn!"

"Catch me, Video Man!"

"Heh, heh!"

"Crap! I'm a bit too late…!"

"Too bad, Burner Man! Paint!"

"Whoa! Wait there, Napalm Man…!"

"My, my."

Serenade was hovering in the air over the VR environment's forest as Forte took part in a large-scale paint-ball game: he was looking at how encounters happened in the clearings or within the forest.

"By my hat! Suzuki – san caught me with the guard lowered." Agoras laughed.

"I think I've gotten the gist of it!" Suzuki giggled.

"Not bad, Suzuki! Now's my turn to shine~!" Tozukana laughed.

"My, my! What passion." Ikada joked.

"Passion? Well. Guess that." Sandra muttered.

"Meh. Let's not go over the definitions." Akemi shrugged.

"Yeah. Let's just try to find others." Lily rallied.

"… Target: hit…" Qong drily stated.

"Heh. More neat points!" Tom chuckled.

"Or so you thought! Heh!" Victor called out.

"Shah, shah, shah! Surprise! I'm the splattering guy!" Needle Man came up with some title of his own.

"Looks like they're having fun, no?" Dr. Cossack commented over Serenade's radio.

"Yes, Dr. Cossack. It would seem they have found something that motivates them… And an excellent means of allowing for further human and Net Navi interaction within the Cyber World…"

"I'm sure Tadashi is looking on… And he feels like his work was worth it… Right, Tadashi?" He muttered.

"His will was passed down. And I am sure that both Dr. Hikari and his sons will put a lot of energy into building a better world for both of us."

"Yes, I think so as well." Slur joined him while slowly flying down from the "sky".

"… Surprise!"

"Heck! It's an ambush by Dark Man and Yamato Man!"

"Hrum! It was worth the wait!"

"Heh, heh, heh! This IS an ambush! Paint!"

"Huh! Shade Man – dono!"

"I object. Paint!" Cosmo Man chuckled.

"Not bad… But I detect someone else close by… Paint!"

"Heh! I got seen through, huh?" Freeze Man chuckled.

"Hrum! Paint!"

"Pharaoh Man joined the fray too!" Napalm Man chuckled.

"Hey! Don't forget us!" Zarashe exclaimed.

"It'd be troublesome if you forgot about us!" Beta X laughed.

"Zero is not taking part?" Serenade asked Slur.

"No. He is working as usual. Mister Daikani is also working with President Hades in wrapping up the day's data gathering and classifying."

"I see. Well. By the way. Dr. Cossack."

"What is it, Serenade?"

"Did you not have some words fitting for such occasions?"

"Oh, of course. You mean the popular "all's well if it ends well"…"

"Yes, I meant that. Thank you."

"It's nothing."

"Hum. The scores are constantly updating and no – one remains in the Top 1 position for more than an average of 3 to 4 minutes." Slur was checking the constantly updating charts.

"Today seems to be an all-out game in which they prefer ambushes to putting distance and hiding…" Serenade commented.

"Heh. It is fine. If this erases the burden and boosts the morale, then… We end up benefiting in the long term."

"Are you trying to act _tsundere_ , maybe?"

"Heh. Maybe so." Slur looked rather amused.

"What was that again…? Ah! The type of person who tries to play strong by denying, for example, that they've actually helped out someone else… And they come up with some excuse like "It was beneficial to me" or wording like "Don't get the wrong idea"…" Dr. Cossack remembered and chuckled.

"Hum. It would seem that Dr. Hikari has been busy in the Science Labs recently but is taking a break." Serenade looked at an information screen he'd opened.

"Maybe I should suggest the same to President Hades and the other two: I think it would do them good." Slur rubbed her chin with the right hand and seemed to be considering it.

"Overworking never has been productive."

"You have a point. Well then. I shall go talk with them."

Slur warped out of the VR space using her usual special effect and Serenade shrugged as he looked on at how the game was evolving.

"It indeed is turning fiercer by the moment. Now no – one is able to retain the title of Top 1 for more than 2 to 3 minutes."

"And there are only 5 minutes left, no? The winner won't be decided until the very last second." Dr. Cossack chuckled.

"Fiercer than football, even."

"Could be. Then again, they're tackling each other like that…"

"Gotcha!" Forte laughed.

"Not so fast!" Burner Man laughed.

"Hah! I'm faster!" Napalm Man chuckled.

"PAINT!" They apparently shot each at the same time.

"Forte… I'm so glad… It was worth living all these years, waiting for a "miracle"…" Dr. Cossack muttered.

"Indeed, Dr. Cossack. But do not be concerned over that. Let us just enjoy the fact that he is here with us."

"I know, Serenade, I know…"

"I am sure he will have some new joke to tell you afterwards."

"Heh. It'll surely be as crazy as ever. I feel some _déjà vu_ , even!"

"It could be the case." Serenade formed an enigmatic smile.

"More, more! Pai~ntttt!" Napalm Man laughed.

"PAI~NNNN!" Forte made a pun.

"The outcome will soon be decided, it would seem."

"Guess that, Serenade. Less than 2 minutes left, no?"

"Yes. And the competition only gets fiercer. No – one can hold the title for more than 2 minutes now. They cannot run fast enough."

"And all players seem to have more or less gathered around the center of the forest where most battles are taking part as if hoping to cut off the escape routes…"

"Indeed."

"Beware! It's the ultimate weapon! The running cardboard box!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Nice attempt!"

"About 40 seconds left."

"I can flip and hop and skip and pop!"

"Sounds like a rap song, man!" Burner Man laughed.

"Recorded for all eternity by Video Man!"

"Shah, shah, shah! Glorified by Needle Man!"

"Attention. 10 seconds left."

"PAI~NTTTTT!"

"9. 8. 7. 6. 5…"

"PPPPPA~I~NNNNTTTT!"

"… Game Over."

"And the winner is…?" Dr. Cossack eagerly asked.

"… Suzuki – san and Akemi's team." Serenade smiled.

"Man! That was close! I'm Top 2!" Forte laughed.

"… Top… 3…" Qong drily muttered.

"Talk about an intense game indeed." Dr. Cossack chuckled.

"Truly. Well then, Forte. Let us go. Shall we?"

"Sure! See ya! I'll come to play another day!"

 _Yes, Forte. You might come anytime. As long as it fills you with joy… I will always be by your side, to support you…_

23:38 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Still awake?"

"Ah. Mademoiselle. Yes. I was reflecting… It's been over 5 years since we arrived here… And we have come this far."

"5 years… Yes… We have totally become residents of "this" world."

"And it was necessary. Fortunately… Another party came forward… And they have also contributed to creating another powerful force capable of standing against those ambitious fools…"

"Kuroban… Indeed. His appearance was a coincidence indeed. But it turned out to be for the better. He also helped set some things into motion… Like XY and Helios…"

Slur found Kanou leaning on the right side handrail of what seemed to be _Purgatory_ 's deck.

The deck had some small 2-story building set on a line across the sides to end some meters away from the bow: two gigantic covers were lifted some meters above of the deck as well and they seemed to be big and wide enough to cover the entire deck: the sound of waves and seagulls echoed around and one could see a segment of the port area a few kilometers away.

Several motor boats could be seen hanging above the deck using cranes as well.

Kanou looked a bit tired and had a weak smile while Slur was calm: she sounded somewhat interested.

"And I finally feel like I'm doing something worth it. Something that benefits society. Even if they're unaware of it."

"That is good."

"What about you, Mademoiselle? Have you managed to slowly overcome your doubts about yourself?"

"It could be said so. Kuroban contributed but XY and Helios also did."

"I imagined they would. With their vast knowledge."

"Of course. Their knowledge was of help. XY has wondered about many things across the ages and has slowly sought the answer to those. It is true that there a lot of humans who are easily capable of evil and such yet… That does not mean the whole human race is the same. Unlike that stupid piece of junk that we disposed of… I do not believe in "guilty by extension"… Junk sure was." Slur calmly exposed.

"But we must not underestimate that kind of humans… Or humans who had good intentions and extreme circumstances made them start to walk a dark path…"

"I know. Especially when humans are tempted by "revenge"… And let it dominate them… And most of the times they end up more miserably than before… Iris and those two were such cases. In the end they were but victims of human arrogance and cruelty… Such cruelty was too much for their kind hearts… XY was right in giving her a new chance to start anew, to return to what she had been… Similar to how Serenade managed to purge Forte of all his built up hatred and grudge… Forte was also a victim of that. It was stupid of me to dislike him for what he did to Serenade: that meant I was no different from Colonel. I, too, have been blinded by my arrogance as well. But unlike Colonel… I have realized it. And accepted it as my mistake."

"That's good, Mademoiselle. We must realize our mistakes. Thinking it better… Maybe doing that back then wasn't that bad. Yes, it brought forth a bad result later on but… Maybe it lured that man into "escaping" and ended up meeting his greatest foe."

"Could be. And I would hardly be surprised if, during this time, that man turned out to be actually alive and that man's attempts at waging war are still continuing. Maybe they dared to check out the status on that front in which we were involved yet… By the time they do so… It will surely have been some time since we left without leaving any traces behind."

"Indeed. So that man will end up empty-handed."

"Yet I am surprised at how things have seemed to be far grimmer here…"

"You needn't tell me. Dr. Wily died in the Dream Virus explosion. And Dr. Regal had his submarine blown up by "hatred" Forte. And the Cybeast fusion "Greizer" happened but its power was beyond what even XY and Helios expected it to be. At least the Pharaoh Man wasn't as powerful… And the "Darkloids" were lesser. Along with several other factors like Search Man's and Colonel's behaviors… Or the existence of Serenade himself…" Kanou listed.

"Yes. Oh well. Going over those will not help us so we better leave it at there and focus on the routine for the next days."

"You're right. I went off-track. Yes, the routine. It shouldn't differ much from what we've been doing insofar. Even if those 2 try to stir up some ruckus… They are largely powerless. But maybe it would be good to send one of our agents to test them out just in case. You never know: we might underestimate their potential." Kanou suggested.

"You have a point. Fine. I can task Burner Man or the others to take care of the deal. Maybe I shall make Video Man record them and pit each one against themselves. It could be amusing."

"Truly. It'd force them to figure out what makes them weak. Maybe that makes them a bit stronger… Or maybe no and they'll cling to a reality distortion field, as usual."

"By the way. About Kuroshiro…"

"Is something the matter with Kuroshiro – kun?"

"Did he get to solve that topic that seemed to be bothering him?"

"Ah yes. Some talk with Mr. Hikari Jr. helped in that aspect. He now feels more relieved."

"Good. It would be a pity if his potential is wasted because of that."

"I know. As a growing young man, he must have his doubts and all as he experiences more of society but… He'll eventually overcome those: I've got confidence on his capabilities."

"I never said he could not. Legato is there to back him up, afer all."

"Of course. And Atarasei – kun looks better: Mr. Daikani's kindness has contributed a lot… And with Dullahan… I mean, Laser Man… gone, then he's gotten rid of a loose end haunting him."

"But Alex faced Laser Man not too long ago and proved that he was indeed weak."

"Yes, I know. But he was afraid of Laser Man exposing his true nature and being discredited and treated as a freak by others."

"Ah. I see. But thanks to Kuroban's and XY's persistence the man was unable to do that."

"Yes indeed. Fortunately enough. Oh well. Zarashe – kun seems to be handling well enough as well despite Ikada – san's pranks and random moods."

"Maybe we need to punish Ikada again?"

"I see no need yet. But if there's the need then I'll handle it. Tozukana – san seems to have cooled down somewhat but I'm still a bit wary taking account all of the things she's made in the past. Young ladies nowadays have a tendency to be troublesome… Of course, I don't mean Suzuki – san: she does her job perfectly enough. And her position is excellent: it helps us understand the world of the media better. One day there might be the need to rely on them."

"I know. By the way. We should keep the simulator as it is. Even I find it… thrilling. Refreshing." Slur admitted with a grin.

"Sure. After seeing today's game… Who'd doubt it?"

"My point exactly."

"Well. I think I should soon head to sleep. Tomorrow's a Sunday but there'll be job to do nevertheless."

"Of course. But that does not justify overworking or lack of sleep."

"I know. Maybe I take after Hikari – hakase in some aspects. Ironically enough!" He chuckled.

"Yes. Ironically enough." Slur seemed to find that irony amusing.

"Oh well. Hum. Excellent starry sky. It eases me, as usual. The beauty of the stars hanging in the skies…"

Kanou began to walk back inside and Slur followed by hovering right next to him: she seemed to be scanning the surroundings.

"Cosmo Man did say you asked of him to wait inside until you were coming back there… You predicted we would talk and did not want anyone to overhear, right?"

"Of course. Wouldn't have you done the same?"

"Elementary." She shrugged.

Both stepped into the main door and waited in the small hall as the elevator came up: Cosmo Man exited and saluted: both nodded at him so he stepped outside and shut the door while both entered the elevator and headed down: they exited into the corridor leading to the closed down cafeteria.

"I will check the night watchmen schedules before I go have a proper rest too: it will make me feel refreshed as well."

"Of course, Mademoiselle."

"We must not falter. It is a very hard task but not impossible."

"Yes, Mademoiselle. Stability is our goal… And we shall uphold it."

Slur smiled and warped into the Cyber World while Kanou stepped into his room and sat down on the chair next to the bed.

"Phew. Well. Another hard day… And some deserved rest."

He headed for the port-hole and opened it to look at the calm sea surface and hear to the sound of the waves: he looked up at the starry skies.

 _We will do the best we can to protect the stability. We do not seek to be perfect but to help others… I believe in you, children of the future!_

 **THE END**


End file.
